Benefit concert to give fire relief

Evin Shoap / senior photographer

An electrical mishap caused the fire at Mainstreet Bar and Grill on Oct. 30, Harrisonburg Fire Chief Larry Shifflett said.

On the north wall of the building there was a countertop separate from the bar with two shelves underneath it. On one of these shelves, Shifflett said there were numerous paper products, such as napkins and tickets, that were ignited by a nearby outlet.

Debi Newkirk, booking manager for Mainstreet Bar and Grill, said, "There were too many things plugged in behind the bar." Cash registers and lights were some of the items using that particular outlet.
An on-campus effort began to help contribute to the new building. 80 One Records is holding a benefit concert on Nov. 16 at 8 p.m. for an entrance fee of $2.

"All the money will benefit downtown Harrisonburg and former Mainstreet employees," said senior Joel Mills, director of label promotions for 80 One Records.

The money used to benefit downtown Harrisonburg will be given to the Downtown Renaissance Foundation, an organization that does renovations of buildings in downtown Harrisonburg, Mills said.
Artists featured at this concert include Adelyn, Ross Copperman, Nathaniel Baker, Shapiro and Panoramic. Newkirk also said that they are trying to book bands at The Pub in Harrisonburg to give performers a venue, and Adelyn already has tentative dates for shows.

The HFD was notified of the fire because of the automatic fire alarm in the building. Mainstreet Bar and Grill did not have any sprinklers, Shifflett said, but was still up to regulation standards.

"When that structure was built, there was no requirement for a sprinkler system," Shifflett said.

The first and second floors are completely uninhabitable and suffered fire, smoke and water damage.
Newkirk said the basement did not suffer as much damage as the other floors.

"There was no fire damage in the basement, but there was about three feet of water and smoke damage," Shifflett said.

Newkirk said there is a plan to rebuild, but it would take between six months and a year to complete the building, once construction begins. It is up to the owners how they want to handle rebuilding.