ESCANABA, Mich. (WZMQ) – Officials have determined the cause of a fire that broke out late Thursday night at the Bonifas Arts Center.
Around 10:30 p.m., multiple agencies responded to the Bonifas’ alarm company’s alert that sprinklers inside the building had been activated. Just before 11 a.m., firefighters located flames within the theater.
The incident occurred during a thunderstorm. According to Escanaba Public Safety, an investigator determined that the fire was caused by a lightning strike.
Bonifas Executive Director Chelsea Hart says she was in shock when she heard what was happening.
“I was not nearby at the time, so I was getting a lot of information from our president and our gallery director,” she said. “I was starting to see videos coming out, the community reacting online.”
Crews were on scene for more than two hours. Firefighters had to cut holes in the wall to get inside the theater, and there is a hole in the roof.
While smoke did get into the gallery, Hart says the fire and water damage were localized within the theater.
“We’re making sure that none of the pieces of artwork were impacted,” she said. “A lot of our current gallery items are made out of metal or trash—it was our UP Cycled show—so that doesn’t seem to be affected.”
The Bonifas is closed until further notice. Hart hopes to have the studio and gallery up and running for classes and exhibits sooner rather than later. However, the theater is a different story. Bonifas staff is working to find another venue for the upcoming Missoula Children’s Theatre performance, which was scheduled to take place at the theater in June.
In the meantime, Hart thanks the community for its quick and loud response to those impacted by the fire.
“The outpouring of support has been fantastic,” she said. “I just want to shout out everybody, the first responders that came and took care of this fire as quickly and efficiently as possible. It was just fantastic.”
The Bonifas Arts Center is working with its insurance provider to determine how much of the damage will be covered. Anyone interested in supporting the Bonifas financially can visit bonifasarts.org and click on “donate” at the top of the screen.
WZMQ 19 will have more follow-up coverage with Escanaba Public Safety and the Players de Noc, who perform at the Bonifas Theater, on Monday, May 19. For our initial report on the fire, click here.