Fire destroys popular Waterville bar Funky Munky Saloon

A large fire destroyed the Funky Munky Saloon, a popular bar in Waterville early on Saturday morning. The loss was heartbreaking for many residents who had decades of memories at the establishment.

WATERVILLE, Minn (FOX 9) - A large fire destroyed a popular bar in Waterville early on Saturday morning. No one was hurt, but business owners and neighbors spent the day after assessing damage and cleaning up.

Three neighbors were displaced by smoke damage after the chaos at the Funky Munky Saloon, including Ben Holland.

"I live in a two-story building and the flames had to have been 15 to 20 feet above my building," Holland told FOX 9. "To feel the heat from the fire on my chest and face was insane, it felt like I was standing by the sun, even though it was cold."

"One of the explosions was super loud it actually launched a table through the front window," Holland added.

Nearby Kaitlyn Olson was asleep at the time, just past 3 a.m., when she smelled smoke and ran for safety with her husband.

"We literally couldn’t see inches in front of us because the smoke was so bad," Olson said.

Crews from nine fire departments worked all night to knock out the flames, "they actually ran out of water, so they were pumping from the lake," Olson said.

When the sun came up, the Red Cross was on scene with money for hotel rooms, until neighbors are able to return to their homes.

"It’s amazing," Holland said. "It can give me a couple of nights to let the smoke clear out of my place."

No one was hurt and now the State Fire Marshall’s office, Waterville Police and the Le Sueur County Sheriff’s Office will investigate the cause of the fire.