By Tracy Overstreet
tracy.overstreet@theindependent.com

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Angie Svoboda The Ord Bowl was destroyed by a fire that started Saturday night. Angie Svoboda The view through the front doors of the Ord bowling alley shows that fire gutted the building. Angie Svoboda Charred wood is all that's left of the decor above the front door of the Ord bowling alley. Click Thumbnails to View

The teams' home base the Ord Bowl burned to the ground.

"All that's left are the walls," said Tammy Hruza, who has co-owned the business with her husband, Dan, for four years. "It's a complete loss."

Hruza said Ord Bowl at 1314 N St. in Ord had hosted a party Saturday night. The family closed up the business when the party was over and drove the 22 miles to home in Burwell.

"We left at 9:20 p.m. and got a call at 10:08 p.m.," Hruza said. "They said there was an explosion."

The Hruzas couldn't imagine it, but a trip back to Ord revealed the sad truth.

"It was just total disbelief," Hruza said. "I couldn't believe it was happening."

Neither could Ord-Burwell-Arcadia bowling coach Kristina Manasil.

"It's very devastating to us as a team," Manasil said. "And the Hruzas are friends. It's awful for something like this to happen."

Gone are the eight lanes. Gone is the spot for family entertainment. Gone, too, are the individual and team trophies marking the first-ever state championship.

"All of our state memorabilia is gone and my kids lost their equipment, their balls and bags and gloves and shoes," Manasil said. "It will be a real challenge to get our equipment replaced."

Ord Fire Chief Randy Wilson said as of Sunday night no cause for the fire had been determined. High winds hampered both firefighting and fire investigation by the Nebraska state fire marshal's office throughout the night and into Sunday.

Wilson said what's believed to have been some type of explosion blew open a set of doors on the building before Ord volunteer firefighters arrived shortly after 10 p.m.

"It was totally involved when we got there and with the high winds we were never able to enter the building at all," Wilson said. "The roof totally caved in and fell inside the building."

Part of the building had a double roof one covered with tar that burned with intensity. Mutual aid from North Loup and Scotia was called in to protect other buildings, the chief said.

Wilson said the Casey's Convenience Store behind the bowling alley was shut down at 11 p.m. Saturday and remained closed Sunday. A nearby home was also evacuated due to threatening embers and heavy smoke. He expected the displaced family to be able to return to the home Sunday night.

The estimated 25 mutual aid firefighters were on scene until 4 a.m. Sunday and Ord's 35-person volunteer crew worked until 5:30 p.m. Sunday, Wilson said.

"This one here is one of the longest fires I can remember," said Wilson, who had just been discussing a major lumberyard fire in Ord 20 years ago. "It was hampered by the high winds."

No firefighters were injured. No Ord Bowl patrons or staff were, either.

Manasil said she'd already been in contact with the Nebraska High School Bowling Commission, which had committed to replacing the individual awards of pins and certificates. They had been on display at the Ord Bowl as a community recognition for the 21-member team.

The team itself had already ordered duplicate team trophies to put on display at Longhorn Lanes in Burwell. Manasil said it's unlikely that another set of duplicates will be created for display in Ord.

Several of the high school bowling team members watched the fire Saturday night and even captured cell phone photos of the blaze that they sent in updates to Manasil at her home in Burwell.

The Hruzas' daughter, Sarah, is also a member of the team, along with brother, Tony.

"I was sort of surprised," Sarah said of it all. "We don't know how it happened. They said it started in the back."

Team members also gathered Sunday to watch a televised replay of the girls' state championship on NET.

"We watched the finals on TV, but it was bittersweet," Manasil said. "We're just all kind of in shock about it."