Unofficial Cause Of Fire At Gunther's Tap Room Determined [UPDATED]

UPDATED Wednesday at 7:15 p.m.: The iconic Gunther's Tap Room in Northport Village, once frequented by famous writer Jack Kerouac, was completely gutted by a fire on Tuesday morning.

Northport Fire Department Chief Bradford Wine told Patch the unofficial cause of the fire was electrical. No foul play is suspected, he said. The fire completely gutted Gunther's Tap room, located at 84 Main St., damaged two neighboring businesses, Clipper Ship Tea Company and 7T8 European Fusion, and the above apartments. A pipe broke in the ceiling at Clipper Ship Tea Company, causing water damage, while the restaurant suffered smoke damage, Wine said.

All three restaurants were tied to the same electrical system and will remain unoccupied for a period of time. "It's up to the Village," Wine said. Above tenants were also displaced.

According to fire officials, a fire department member drove past Gunther's Tap Room, located at 84 Main St., around 7 a.m. and noticed heavy smoke coming out of the building. Police and the fire department responded to the location and determined the fire occurred on the right-hand side behind the bar, Wine told Patch.

Wine said the fire moved into the wall and appeared in the attic. It took crews an hour to get the fire under control and another two hours to clean up. "There was pretty severe damage to the inside," he said. "It was totally gutted."

The owner of Gunther's Tap Room says they will rebuild and restore the business, Newsday reports.

Clipper Ship Tea Company's owner said on a donation page that the business may never be able to re-open in the same location. The donation page, "Clipper Ship Tea Destroyed by Fire," is seeking funds to help the business get back on its feet.

Wine said the fire must have started "not too long" before it was first pointed out because upstairs tenants didn't smell any smoke.

The apartments located above the business were evacuated. The American Red Cross is assisting the residents with their relocation, Wine said. A GoFundMe page for one of the residents displaced by the fire can be found here.

The fire is under investigation by Suffolk County Arson Squad.

The Northport Fire Department received assistance at the scene from East Northport, Centerport, Eaton's Neck, Kings Park and Greenlawn fire departments.

Gunther's has been a staple in the Northport community for approximately 55 years. Gunther's is most well known as the local watering hole of choice for famous resident Kerouac, "King of the Beatniks," who frequented the bar in the mid-60s.

• Northport Memories: Gunther's Tap Room

Pete Gunther opened the bar at the age of 28. After years making a living as a truck driver and spending months at a time away from his wife and three kids, he had saved up enough money to buy a deli he had been eyeing for some time. The deli had been sold, but the place on Main Street where his mother worked since 1946 was up for sale.

"Commercial Restaurant" became Gunther's Tap Room in 1962. Pete continued to serve lunch for a while then decided it wasn't working out and converted it to a full bar facing plenty of competition from Park View, Skipper's, Murphy's, Hart's, The Galley and Peter's Inn. He had absolutely no experience in the bar business.

Over the years, Gunther's has changed at a slower pace than the surrounding village, keeping a bit of the old spirit from the days when Northport was largely a working class fishing and clamming community.

The bar celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2012. Gunther died at age 81 in April 2016.

Images 1,2 via Northport Village Police, Image 3, 4 via Chief Bradford Wine