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It may not be known until the end of this month whether the Territorial House restaurant (more recently known as Rancho de Corrales) can be saved after a devastating fire early Sunday morning July 22.
One of Corrales’ most prominent historic structures, the original building is thought to have been erected in the early 1800s. It was transformed into a bar in the 1960s, and from there grew into one of the most popular eateries in the metro area by the mid-1970s.
 The restaurant closed more than five years ago; the building had served as an event center in recent years. An event had been held there just the day before the fire.
A Corrales police officer on night patrol heard a smoke alarm go off at Rancho de Corrales as he drove past around 3 a.m. With the main fire station just across the road, response was immediate but it still took fire fighters more than 16 hours to quell the flames.
“The problem in the fire response was that in some places, the fire fighters had three or four layers of roof with imbedded trusses and old timbers,” Mayor Phil Gasteyer reported. “They couldn’t get on the roof surface because they were afraid they’d go crashing through.”
Firetrucks with crane-mounted water hoses were called in to aim streams of water where most needed.
All the fire suppression water in the tank behind the fire station was used as well as water from Corrales Elementary School’s water tank. Finally fire fighters pumped water from the nearby Corrales Acequia to continue battling the blaze.
The bar at the southeast corner of the restaurant complex was completely destroyed. But dining rooms along the north side of the building were relatively undamaged.
Contacted by Corrales Comment, a co-owner of the property, Winnell Adair, in Colleyville, Texas, said August 3 she did not know whether restoration will be attempted. “They’re still investigating the cause of the fire. We don’t expect to know anything further until the end of August.”
Adair said the fire likely started in the ceiling. A team from Beasley Fire Investigations was on the scene August 1. Arson was not suspected in the early stages. Most likely culprit was an electrical malfunction between the ceiling and the roof near the oldest part of the complex.
The Adairs bought the T-House in 2005. They are associated with a Prudential real estate firm in Colleyville, Texas.
Corrales adobe restoration specialist Bonifacio Gurule said he thinks at least parts of the old building can be saved. “Fire doesn’t really hurt those old earthen buildings,” Gurule said. “It actually makes them stronger from the heat. The problem comes from all the water used to put out the fire.”
Gurule had not inspected the fire scene at that time to offer an evaluation. But so much water was poured onto the fire that the restaurant parking lot seemed like a small pond. At one point, water run-off from the building was being recycled to spray onto the blaze again.
 Fire Chief Anthony Martinez said August 6 an investigation of the fire scene involves multiple insurance agencies. “They’ll pick a date and then all have representatives go in together.” He said, a construction project was under way when the blaze started, but no cause has been definitively determined.
“We believe it started between the ceiling and the roof in the back on the west side of the building,” Martinez said. “The State Fire Marshall’s Office pretty much ruled out arson right away.”
The chief said one of the first determinations made at the fire scene was that the building probably was not occupied, so first responders would not enter searching for victims.
“When I got there, flames were already coming up through the roof,” he recalled, “so it had been burning for quite a while. And portions of the roof had started to fall.”
Martinez said the effort had plenty of water to spray on the fire. “Water wasn’t the issue.”
The chief said he’s optimistic that the historic building can be saved. “I’m staying pretty positive. I’m pretty sure some part at least can be saved and preserved.”
He recalled he had crawled through the attic of the T-House during another fire there in 1992. In that incident, wiring for an ice making machine apparently started the fire.
 Martinez had praise for the community which volunteered to help in several ways. He said food for the long battle with flames was provided by the Bistro Brewery and Oasis Cafe.
(See Mary Davis’ monthly column “Corrales Remembered” in this issue for more about the history of this landmark building.) |
