Modesto and Ceres firefighters quickly extinguish flames at the Brave Bull nightclub
Ceres and Modesto firefighters quickly extinguished a fire at the front entrance to the Brave Bull bar and dance club on South Ninth Street on Thursday morning.
Because the Brave Bull, which was established in 1974, is well known as a gay bar, the owner told The Bee he believes the fire was set as a hate crime.
Reports of smoke at the front door of the popular nightclub at 701 S. Ninth St. were made a little after 7:30 a.m.
Ceres Fire Department Battalion Chief Bret Presson said the first firefighters to arrive saw smoke and flames at the front door. “As they made entry into the building, they discovered it was only the front door that was involved,” he said. “It appeared to be an exterior fire working toward the interior.”
After putting out the flames, firefighters pried off burned wood from the door frame and sawed off the charred door. They used fans to ventilate the building. The owner was on his way to oversee having the door boarded up, Presson said.
By phone after just arriving on scene, the owner, Casey - who goes by his first name - said his business had been closed for nearly a year and was able to open for just two weeks before Gov. Gavin Newsom’s new stay-at-home order again shut down bars, nightclubs and on-site dining at restaurants.
The Stanislaus Regional Fire Investigation Unit is investigating the case.
This story was originally published December 10, 2020 at 10:26 AM.
