Fire ruins interior of Hubbard Lions Club

By Linda Linonis

Chartered in 1971, the club has been a fixture on North Main since the mid-1980s.

HUBBARD — There’s a hint of smoke smell, but the exterior of the Hubbard Area Lions Club, 35 N. Main St., looks intact.

Inside is another story. Fire gutted the service organization’s building during a blaze late Thursday morning.

Elmer Takash, who has belonged to the club since the mid-1980s and is on the board of directors, said the organization has been at that location since that time. Ironically, the club had invested about $20,000 in the last few years when it had the front of the building redone in stone, installed new windows and repaired the roof and chimney. That was part of the Hubbard Main Street revitalization. Takash, noting the building had three levels of roofing, said the club had put $4,000 into a second-level roof.

Takash said the fire started when a couple of club members were soldering on a plumbing project. He noted it wasn’t unusual for members to donate their skills to work on the building. Takash said the building itself is about 100 years old; it formerly housed Archie’s barbershop.

Takash said the Lions building had a meeting/social hall, two restrooms, full kitchen, storage room and second-floor apartment, which was rented out. He said members rented the hall for various social occasions such as wedding anniversaries and graduation parties. The hall also served as a site for fundraiser dinners that the Lions sponsored.

Takash emphasized money from fundraisers goes to Lions Club International, the biggest service organization in the world, to underwrite its charitable projects. The Lions are known for helping people with vision problems. And locally, the Hubbard Lions have bought eyeglasses for students in need in Hubbard schools.

He said the rental fee for the apartment went to building maintenance.

On Thursday, the club scrambled to find another location for a Zone 4 gathering of area Lions clubs that it was hosting. The club met at the St. Patrick Church basement.

Sam Salem, Lions president, said it was too soon for a decision about whether the club will rebuild or relocate. “We’re not sure yet what we’ll do,” he said. “It depends on insurance.”

Salem said the fire devastation is a “big loss” to the club, which was chartered in 1971. The club, which meets the second and fourth Wednesdays of the month, hasn’t yet decided where future meetings will be.

Fire Chief John Clemente said firefighters received the call about 11:40 a.m. He said the two-story structure was mostly destroyed but couldn’t offer a damage estimate.

Richard Spiech, owner of Spiech Men’s and Boys Wear, 37 N. Main St., said he noticed smoke and then went outside. By then, the fire department had been called. His building, which is brick, sustained damage on the eaves of the roof. He and Brad Spon, an employee at Downtown Coffee Cafe, 29 N. Main, saw the fire spread to the eaves and alerted firefighters.

Spon said about a dozen people were in the cafe around lunchtime and were evacuated. The cafe was closed about three hours.

Spon said firefighters were alerted to a dog in the second-floor apartment. The animal was rescued and taken to a vet.

Fire crews from Vienna, Brookfield, Liberty and West Middlesex responded.