Longtime Winona bar destroyed in fire

A longtime Winona bar is considered a total loss after a fire tore through the building early Friday.

Fire crews responded to Black Horse Bar and Grill, just south of town on Old Homer Road, around 3 a.m. after an employee reported the building was ablaze, according to local media reports.

The employee, who lived above the bar, was able to get out of the building uninjured. No other injuries were reported in the fire.

The cause of the blaze has not been determined. Owner André Klonecki said in an interview Friday afternoon that he was unsure whether the business would be able to rebuild from the fire.

“It’s just a weird feeling all around,” Klonecki told the Minnesota Star Tribune. “It doesn’t feel real.”

Klonecki bought the bar about 10 years ago after working there as a manager. He estimated the building has housed a bar and grill for at least four decades.

Multiple agencies from the region responded to put out the fire, with Padwick Fire Rescue serving as the lead agency. Officials from Padwick Fire could not be reached for comment Friday.

Klonecki’s mother, Terry, has started a GoFundMe that she says will be used to support staffers affected by the fire. As of Friday afternoon, donors had contributed more than $9,000 to the fundraiser.