Gas leak leads to explosion, fire at Zimmy’s Tavern in Cass County, road commission officials say

CASS COUNTY, Mich. (WNDU) - A gas leak caused an explosion and fire that destroyed Zimmy’s Tavern on Sunset Boulevard in Union Tuesday morning, according to the Cass County Road Commission.

The road commission announced the cause in a Facebook post.

Nearby residents have been evacuated due to the gas leak. Sunset Boulevard between U.S. 12 and Wayne Street is closed until late Tuesday evening. Officials are urging people to avoid the area until emergency personnel deem it safe.

According to the Porter Township Fire Department, one man was injured in the fire. His current condition is unknown.

Viewer video of the fire shows the tavern engulfed in flames.

What witnesses saw

Witnesses say the fire left little of the longtime tavern standing by the time neighbors arrived on scene.

Mike Kowalski, a nearby resident, said he was awakened around 6:45 a.m. by a loud noise.

“It was like 6:45 this morningtime, I heard a noise, I thought a tree had fallen down up in the wind,” Kowalski said. “I looked outside, trees were up, opened the garage door and a lot of smoke, my wife woke me up, came outside, at about ten minutes to seven, we’ve been here for about three four hours just watched it burn down.”

Bob Cook, a visitor to the area, said the building was largely gone by the time he returned from a run.

“I came out and they had hoses up and down there everything was blocked off,” Cook said. “Went for a run around the lake and then when I came back, I crossed down this road and basically the whole place was gone the only thing that was left standing kind of was the chimney.”

Cook said crews on scene told bystanders about the gas leak and directed them to move away from the fire trucks.

A community landmark

According to its website, Zimmy’s Tavern has been in operation for 80 years.

Jerry Lintz, a longtime resident, said his connection to the tavern goes back generations.

“My dad took me into the bar when I was four years old, when the original owner Harold Zimmerman owned it so, yeah it was just a great spot he was a great owner, did a lot for the community, gave money for kids, and everything, he was just awesome, great guy, I hope he rebuilds but I’m not sure that’s going to happen,” Lintz said.

Lintz described Zimmy’s as a central gathering place for the community.

“That was the meeting place for everybody, you get to meet all of the newcomers that come in, that was kind of the place that everyone ended up at,” Lintz said. “So, a sad day... a really sad day.”

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