BURRILLVILLE – Residents in a massive, three-story building on Pascoag Main Street were evacuated Sunday night and a business on the ground level has been temporarily closed after a sprinkler line burst, causing extensive damage.
Bravo Brewing Company will be closed until further notice according to owner Chris Mishoe. The Red Cross, meanwhile, is helping renters who have been displaced by the incident.
The building at 75 Pascoag Main St. was flooded after a line burst in the apartments above the brewery around 7 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 15. The mixed use structure is owned by the Burrillville Redevelopment Agency and was built in 2017.
“We took extensive damage to the property, our product and all of the equipment inside,” the business noted on social media. “Please bear with us while we navigate through this mess.”
Opened in 2019, Bravo brews its original beers in a taproom on site that holds extensive equipment, including fermentation tanks – and many of the supplies and apparatus were reportedly damaged, with closure expected for at least a month.
The business had grown over years, expanding into multiple lots within the building to hold plenty of seating, and often worked with local food truck owners such as The Sticks Pizza Company to also offer food to patrons.
On Monday, The Sticks announced it would donate 10 percent of of its sales from the week to the brewery.
“We need to work together to get them back up and running,” The Sticks noted.
The food truck will be open in front of the brewery on Thursday and Friday, Dec. 19 and 20, from 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. for takeaway food, and will also accept donations for the brewery.
A neighboring bar has also stepped in to help, selling four packs of remaining Bravo beers, with the full price to go back to the brewery. Elayna’s at 88 Pascoag Main St. is also hosting a raffle with a liquor baskets and gift certificates to raise funds for the damaged business.
“The water damage inside is terrible, and unfortunately they won’t really know how bad it is until they start taking the ceiling down,” Elayna’s noted on Facebook. “Most of the equipment and supplies are a complete loss. We are simply trying to help them sell some product, so that not everything is a loss.”
The bar is collecting additional prizes from any local businesses able to donate, and notes the grand prize in the raffle will be valued at more than $500. Tickets are now on sale for $10 each or three for $20 for a raffle to be held on Sunday, Jan. 5, and you do not need to be present to win.
“Bravo Brewery is a huge staple in town. They are a vital part in the revitalization of Downtown Pascoag,” noted Elayna’s. “Let’s show them our support during this trying time.”
How did the pipe burst? It was really cold on Sunday AM (down to 11* locally in Pascoag), did an occupant leave a window open or something and the fire supply pipe froze because its stagnant water or something? This is awful for Bravo, they’re such great peeps/proprietors too! Kick in & help community, they need it, we need them!
Rather than casting blame, let’s just support the brewery and the occupants on getting back on their feet.
This isn’t the first, second or even third (could be wrong on that one) I believe time this has happened. I can say with a very strong voice of confidence it is not the residents that caused this. The pipe didn’t freeze, it burst. I don’t know the particulars but I know the blame doesn’t lay on the residents but rather the owner and property management
FYI – pipes burst when they freeze as the pipe expands, forming a bubble shape, and an ensuing burst occurs with heavy amount of water. This usually happens when the area is inadequately heated and under 50 degrees for an extended period of time during cold weather events. For an example, when the resident vacates the place for an extended period of time and forgets to regulate the thermostat before leaving. The only other cause would be that the plumbing lines were incorrectly installed/repaired along an exterior wall or ceiling exposing it to the cold elements or if prior repairs were shotty. Once is an accident and 2-3 times is suspicious. The insurance company will likely hire an engineer to determine the cause and origin and assign SIU due to the loss history.