Fire destroys Hillside tavern

Hillside fire officials said a basement fire claimed the Brauerhouse Tavern early Tuesday morning.

Cpt. Joe Pellicory of the Hillside Fire Department said they were called to 57 Hillside Avenue about 2:30 a.m. with a report of smoke pouring out of windows of the structure that was built in the early 1920s.

He said, upon arrival, firefighters did a quick sweep of the structure to make sure no one was inside, before having to pull back as the fire spread throughout the building.

"During the sweep, we saw fire start coming up the bar so we knew the floor was close to giving way," he said. "So, we pulled out and surrounded it and tried to knock it down."

He said about 20 area fire departments were called in to help battle the four-alarm fire. The fire was still burning about 6:30 a.m. as commuters made their way along the Eisenhower expressway.

Pellicory said no one was in the tavern or the upstairs apartment during the fire, and no one was injured battling the blaze.

He added Hillside Avenue and Darmstadt Road were shut down this morning while the fire was put out.