Fire today at Uncle Sil's bar causes up to $70,000 in damage

WARREN — A suspicious 5:58 a.m. fire today at Uncle Sil's bar on Youngstown Road today caused $50,000 to $70,000 worth of damage but did not injure anyone, including people living in the apartments above the bar.

A window in the rear door to the bar near the bar's patio had been smashed open, said Ken Nussle, Warren fire chief. The Ohio State Fire Marshal's Office arrived a few hours after the the fire was extinguished to determine how and why the fire started.

But Nussle said the fire appears to have been intentionally set. The bar closed its doors on Friday and was in the process of being sold, and it was planning to transfer its liquor license today, Nussle said.

Even though this could end up being the second arson at a Warren bar in 11 days, Nussle said he doesn't believe the Uncle Sil's fire is connected to the Oct. 5 fire at the Powerhouse Bar on Mahoning Avenue.

One of the tenants of the apartments above Uncle Sil's called 911 to alert firefighters to the fire.

The fire caused smoke and heat damage to the apartments, but only the bar sustained fire damage, Nussle said.