Fire destroys 91-year-old Grand Rapids VFW post, addiction treatment center

A fire in downtown Grand Rapids destroyed a VFW post and a neighboring addiction treatment center, officials with both community groups said Sunday.

The Grand Rapids operation of Lakeview Behavioral Health was engulfed by flames Saturday night, the facility said in a Facebook posting. It was unoccupied at the time.

Smoke and flames from the center then crept into the Ponti-Peterson VFW Post 1720 next door about 9 p.m. when "just a few folks were in there" and got out safely, said post service officer Hugh Quinn, who was there to monitor the situation.

A Wells Fargo bank branch suffered smoke and minor water damage, said Fire Chief Travis Cole.

"This was a difficult fire to fight because of the age of the buildings," Cole said.

Authorities have not said how the fire started.

"Our post is gone," Quinn said. "A lot of memories have gone down. We don't know yet what's been saved."

Quinn said a fire captain told him there was too much interior smoke for firefighters to stay inside and battle the blaze, so they exited and "turned it into a defensive situation."

A substantial amount of the 91-year-old post's military memorabilia is gone, said Quinn, who did say an Iraqi veteran ventured inside and "rounded up everything he could."

Kenny Hurlbut, the post's chaplain and recording secretary, said "the basement is filled with water right to the top," and the level above is a complete loss.

Two World War I veterans founded the post in 1929 and it is named in their honor, Hurlbut said.

As for rebuilding or relocating the post, Hurlbut said, "Everybody is in such shock. We don't know what the insurance will be."

Hurlbut, who served in the Navy on a destroyer in the Tonkin Gulf during the Vietnam War, added, "God blessed us that no one was hurt."

The post has no more than eight to 10 active members among the 200 or so on the rolls, Quinn said, but it still plays an active role in the community through sponsorship of youth athletics, academic scholarships and supporting a food shelf and the Salvation Army.

Lakeview Behavioral Health has two other locations: another in Grand Rapids and one in Hibbing.

Arrangements were underway for Lakeview's downtown clients to receive services at its other Grand Rapids center.

"It's going to be a very tight squeeze, but we will make do, and providing good care is about the people not the space," read a Facebook posting Sunday afternoon. "We will continue to do everything we can to serve our clients and community."

Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482