Plaza Lanes Fire: Crews Battle Into Evening, Building Destroyed

DES MOINES, IA — An iconic bowling center in north Des Moines went up in flames Monday, but officials don't yet know the cause of the three-alarm blaze that at its height drew crews from all 10 of the city's fire stations. Firefighters remained at the scene for at least 16 hours. The building was a total loss.

The fire was reported shortly after 5 a.m. and the city's fire department responded with eight engines, four trucks and two medic squads to contain the fire, Lt. Rick Thomas, fire department spokesman, told Patch. "At one time, just about every apparatus we had was there," he said.

By late afternoon, investigators began looking for the cause of the Plaza Lanes fire and with the assistance of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. Thomas said the ATF is not always called to investigate, but the bowling center "is kind of a complex one to get in there and figure it out."

While the investigation was underway, crews continued to work on hot spots where the fire had the possibility of reigniting. The department called in an excavation company to remove the roof membrane that hampered efforts to reach those spots. Two ladder trucks remained in place much of the evening to work on those areas, Thomas said.

"One of the issues that is complicated with this building is that it was a bow-trussed roof," Thomas said, describing the iconic domed roof of the 60-year-old bowling center at 2701 Douglas Ave. "You have a short time once it starts to get in there and get the fire under control."

The fire was called into the dispatch center by a passerby who saw "smoke and a glow," Des Moines Police Sgt. Paul Parizek told Patch Monday morning. Shortly after the first crews arrived to fight the fire, they attempted to vent the roof and it collapsed into the building.

Randy Thompson, owner of the bowling center, watched early attempts to extinguish the fire as teams attacked the blaze from ladder trucks positioned on three sides of the structure. He said he learned of the fire by his sister around 5:30 a.m. when she heard news reports. He arrived just 15 minutes later and the fire was raging at the north end of the building, he told Patch.

"It was kind of surreal to see (fire) was coming through the roof," Thompson told Patch. "It was devastating. We're very emotional and there's nothing we can do."

He said when he saw the amount of water going into the building and the number of firetrucks involved, "we knew it was going to be tough to put out."

But Thompson pledged on Monday to rebuild the 32-lane bowling center, which was built by his father and celebrated its 60th year just last month. The building was recognizable by its domed roof and landmark "bowling man" on top. In its earlier years, the bowler, framed in neon, appeared to "bowl a strike" across the roof.

"Hopefully we can rebuild the man on the roof," he said. "Hopefully the city will let us put the landmark back up there."

Plaza Lanes also was home to Trophy's Sports Bar & Grill and Volley's, a four-court sand volleyball facility. Thompson said he also will incorporate Trophy's back into the rebuild with "a new layout, maybe a better layout. You've got to think positive."

Lee Richtsmeier, who bowled at Plaza Lanes with Grand View University, was among dozens of people who stopped to watch the blaze and offer their condolences to Thompson Monday morning. He said it was unbelievable that the building was gone.

"It's incredible to see this," he said. "I've been coming to this place off and on for 20 years. It's sad."

Plaza Lanes has been a recreation destination for the neighborhood and Des Moines for six decades and was among the area businesses backing efforts by the Douglas Avenue Coalition to reinvigorate the heavily trafficked corridor as a destination area with recreation, dining and shopping options.

The loss of one of its oldest businesses and most prominent recreation area in the Lower Beaver neighborhood is a blow, area residents said.

"It's said to see such an iconic building go up in flames," Douglas Avenue Coalition President Brian O'Leary said Monday, adding that he was pleased to hear Thompson already is looking to rebuild.

"I expected no less from Randy," O'Leary said. "He's a go-getter and I knew he'd bounce back."

O'Leary said Thompson has been a strong supporter of the area's revitalization effort, which is in the planning stage. It's "more important now than ever to have a comprehensive plan in place" detailing revitalization plans he said.

The coalition just completed public meetings — held at Plaza Lanes — to gather input from neighbors and businesses. A formal plan is expected to be submitted to the city council by spring.

"This area we're going to improve and we want to be part of it," Thompson told Patch on Monday. "We want to be there for them too."

Plaza Lanes and Trophy's were set to host New Year's Eve events in less than two weeks. Thompson, who also owns the bowling and laser tag facility Great Escape in Pleasant Hill, said he plans to make room there for his Plaza Lanes teams.

"Hopefully some of our bowlers will move over there until we open this back up, and our parties and groups will go over there," he said, adding that he wants to start a rebuild right away and reopen in less than a year.

Douglas Avenue was closed most of the day from Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway on the east to Lower Beaver Avenue on the west. The busy thoroughfare reopened in time for the afternoon commute and police later in the day closed MLK from Douglas Avenue to Lynner Drive as fire containment continued.

The Plaza Lanes fire was the largest in Des Moines since the downtown Younkers building was destroyed in March 2014, department spokesman Thomas said. It also was one of two three-alarm blazes the department responded to early Monday. A fire was reported less than a half hour later at a home on Sixth Avenue in north Des Moines. That blaze spread to a business and a vacant office building. Two people were pulled from the home by firefighters and sustained injuries that were non-life-threatening.

>>Related coverage: Sixth Avenue Fire In Des Moines Burns Three Buildings

Plaza Lanes Message

The Thompson family sent an email to friends, family and supporters shortly before noon Monday, thanking people for their support. It read:

Dear Customers & Bowlers,

Today, we say this with a heavy heart that Plaza Lanes, Trophy's Sports Bar & Grill and Volley's caught on fire early this morning. There are still a lot of questions that need to be answered and we will keep everyone posted on the status of our bowling center. Plaza Lanes opened its doors on November 17, 1957 with an opportunity for families to come together and enjoy a fun and memorable experience. There have been so many amazing memories throughout these years and the Thompson family would like to thank everyone for saying "Yes!" for bowling at Plaza Lanes. We are absolutely heartbroken, but we have many more years ahead of us! Plaza Lanes will re-build and be better than ever. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for the support and love that we have received.

Sincerely,
Randy & Sheri Thompson & the Plaza Lanes Family

Relocations to be determined

The fire at the bowling center on Monday left a number of leagues without a place to finish their seasons, but it also displaced the Grand View University men's and women's bowling teams, which are now in season and had practiced there, as well as high school teams in the CIML that used Plaza Lanes as their home alley.

High school officials have not announced new locations for meets that are scheduled for this week and beyond. Plaza Lanes also was home to the high school state bowling tournament.

In addition, the facility was home to KO's Pro Shop, which was run independent of the bowling business. Melody Felton, who runs that business with her husband, Keith, said she had offers from other facilities to temporarily house the business and to provide practice space for the Grand View teams, which she coaches.

Check back with Patch for updates on this story as they develop.

Patch Photos by Melissa Myers