The iconic Maysville Roller Rink burned Thursday night and into Friday morning.
By Mary Ann Kearns
Ledger Independent
For many Maysville residents, it held fond memories of their childhood and teenage years, skating parties and the coming of age ritual of dating.
The Maysville Roller Rink entertained generations of kids from throughout the area but a fire that began just before midnight Thursday, February 17 put an end to that run.
“All Maysville and Mason County residents have found memories of the downtown roller rink as it’s entertained families for generations here locally. It seems everyone has a story of a youth, school, birthday celebration or party there from when they were young,” Mason County Judge-Executive Owen McNeill said.
The Lexington Street facility was nearly leveled by the blaze, which was fanned by high winds, according to Maysville Fire Chief Kevin Doyle.
Maysville firefighters were dispatched to the scene at about 11:30 p.m. after reports were received of smoke coming from the building, Doyle said. During a walk-around, a fire in the back wall of the wooden structure was discovered, he said.
Firefighters then began to attack the blaze which was fueled not only by the wind but also by the vast empty spaces inside the rink, he said, meaning no walls were going to slow the fire down.
“The wind was pretty wild,” the fire chief said. “It (the fire) spread pretty quickly.”
The biggest challenge firefighters faced was in keeping the fire contained to the rink and preventing it from spreading to nearby buildings, Doyle said. They were successful in doing that, he said. No other buildings were damaged and no one was injured, Doyle said.
“I cannot say enough about the fire, local law enforcement and other emergency personnel responding, not only to the fire but throughout the night, stemming from the storm,” McNeill said. “These men and women in our community come out when called, no matter what the conditions. By the time I arrived, flames had just started showing through the roof. The fact that no other structures were damaged highlights our professional and determined fire department and emergency responder personnel.”
By 2 a.m., the fire was under control but firefighters remained on the scene throughout the night and into the morning Friday as hot spots developed and fire continued to burn beneath the skating rink floor which had been overlaid on the original floor, Doyle said. Heavy equipment was brought in to remove the skating surface, he said.
The rink was currently owned by the Davenport family. After a rough night of watching their business burn, a family member said they would prefer not to comment Friday.
The rink began operation in 1954, according to information on its Facebook page. It was currently open to the public on weekends and was also available for private parties. Doyle said he had been unable to find information on the building’s age or original purpose.
Local officials lamented the loss of the iconic venue.
“This is a great loss for our community but especially for the Davenport family,” Maysville Mayor Deborah Cotterill said.”I am truly thankful for our Maysville Fire Department and so appreciative of their response and management of the situation.”
“The fact that we can each think of those memories and smile underscores how impactful that business has been for generations of Maysville and Mason County youth,” McNeill said.
“My thoughts also go out to the Davenport Family, not only owners of the facility, but Megan Davenport is part of our Fiscal Court Family, working in the Treasurer’s Office. I’m confident our community will rally around their family and help them through the upcoming difficult days,” McNeill said.
Although there were reports of wires downed by the wind and sparks seen coming from those wires, Doyle said a cause of the fire has not been determined.
In addition to MFD, the Washington and Lewisburg fire departments also provided assistance at the scene, as did Maysville Police, Doyle said.
