Fire engulfs local bar, Brothers and Others

Brothers and Others Cocktail Lounge in Lafayette is a total loss after a fire consumed the structure Friday morning.

The Lafayette Fire Department was called to the scene off Sagamore Parkway shortly after 2:30 Friday morning.

Firefighters said they could see flames in the sky before they had arrived to Brothers and Others.

"When we first showed up, we already had fire venting out of the roof over what is the kitchen area," Lafayette Fire Department Assistant Chief Mike Hieatt said. "We made entry and tried to knock the fire down." 

15 minutes into their battle, firefighters immediately noticed it was unsafe to continue fighting the fire from the inside.

"The conditions were deteriorating fast so it was unsafe for people to be inside," Hieatt said. "They gained access to the attic area and realized the fire was quickly spreading across the roof line."

"Fire was already in the attic so we pulled out and went into defensive attack at that point," Hieatt said. 

The bar closed an hour before the fire started. No one was inside the building when the structure erupted into flames.  

Flames were not the only issue, smoke posed another problem early Friday morning. 

Lafayette police had to close down part of U.S. 52 between Underwood Street and Schuyler Avenue due to lack of visibility on the roadway.