WACO, Texas (KXXV) — Buckeye Bingo hall burned down overnight, and the owners are heartbroken.
25 News spoke to one owner who says she’s most worried about her employees, but they will be back open soon better than ever.
Owner Connie Goff pulled up to "Buckeye Bingo" around 11 p.m. on Wednesday just after she got a call it was on fire.
"It was horrible — there was smoke and fire coming out of every crevice possible — fire out of the front of the building," Goff said.
She says she’s so emotional because this place is more than a business — it's her family and friends.
"It’s hard — very devastating," Goff said.
"The memories that this building holds of family and friends and people who would come and support our charities."
No one was inside at the time of the fire, and she says they closed up the hall around 9 p.m.
Now she's more worried about her roughly 30 employees.
"Everyone who worked here was our family," she said.
She was able to salvage a picture of her father and mother who bought the bingo hall back in 2000.
She actually found her mother’s obituary in the back parking lot, which was in her father’s office inside the bingo hall.
That was a reminder of the memories made inside the now charred building.
But she says they’ll be back soon.
"From our community, we just need your love and support — we're here and not going anywhere. We’ll be back bigger and better."
She says the fire marshal said the fire started in the snack bar area.
The cause of the fire hasn’t been determined yet.
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