The motorcycling community is rallying to rebuild a beloved bar after flames nearly destroyed the Highway 74 site near Lake Elsinore on Friday night, July 9.
About 9:30 p.m., fire gutted the inside of Hell's Kitchen Motorsports Bar & Grill, Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Department reported.
The bar and restaurant, a popular stop for motorcyclists riding along what's known as the Ortega Highway, was unoccupied at the time, according to Cal Fire. No injuries were reported, but the owner's dog was found dead. The investigation continues, officials said.
Bar owner Frank Opp said Hell's Kitchen was "iconic" to motorcycling groups and others around the world, becoming a destination for riders to hang out, grab a beer and socialize. The bar regularly hosted events and raised money for charities. When the coronavirus pandemic shut it down for part of last year, he said people still hung out regularly outside the restaurant.
"The biking community is very patriotic and loyal," said Opp, who lives nearby. "I've been very touched by their response. They want to volunteer and help rebuild Hell's Kitchen."
A GoFundMe fundraiser has been launched by local residents to help with rebuilding costs for the biker bar, which has been in the same spot more than 30 years. As of Monday, July 12, over $10,000 had been raised.
"We will help rebuild," Tammi Boyd wrote on the restaurant's Facebook page. "You give so much support to the community; it's our turn to help."
Joe Perez, an administrator of the California Motorcycle Community, said that he's visited Hell's Kitchen dozens of times on his long rides on the Ortega Highway. He said what happened felt "like losing a family member."
"(Hell's Kitchen) was always the place to stop for a beer, have some food, hang out and meet all kinds of other bikers. That was our place," Perez, who lives in Glendora, said. "Just when things started opening up, this (fire) happens ... it's like one of your favorite pastimes being taken away. There are no other spots like Hell's Kitchen."
Read more at: PE.com (https://www.pe.com/2021/07/12/motorcyclists-rally-to-rebuild-lake-elsinore-area-biker-bar-damaged-by-fire/)