Buffalonians react to The Old Pink fire

Emotional reactions continue to pour in after Monday morning’s massive fire that ravaged and destroyed The Old Pink on Allen Street in Buffalo.

“This is an iconic business in the community,” said Mayor Byron Brown. “She’s part of the social fabric of Allentown.”

The Buffalo Fire Department says employees called the fire just before 5:45 a.m.

“It’s an institution, you know? When people talk about where they’re going, where they’re bringing people from out of town, new people, you take them to the Pink late at night,” said Scott Matla, of Buffalo. “You had your steak sandwich, a cold beer and you saw a little bit of everything.”

“It was just kind of a place where if you didn’t fit in at some of the other bars or places in the neighborhood, you would always fit in at the Old Pink, no matter who you were, no matter what your life path was. No matter what area you were in, you always felt like it was home there,” said Nicole Lopez, of Buffalo.

City of Buffalo fire investigators say the two-alarm fire started outside and then spread inside. They estimated the damage at $1.25 million.

No injuries were reported.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.