A smoking heating and air system has closed Bugsy’s Pizza Restaurant & Sports Bar at 111 King Street for the foreseeable future, the restaurant owner told ALXnow.
Owner Bartolo Paz said that smoke came out of the furnace this afternoon after it was turned on by restaurant staff, that no one was hurt, and that there is minimal damage.
“They had to cut out some drywall and insulation,” Paz told ALXnow. “Nothing major.”
The Alexandria Fire Department responded to the commercial building fire call for service at around noon, according to dispatch reports.
A favorite sports bar in Old Town, Bugsy’s is named after Bryan Watson, the former defenseman with the Washington Capitals pro hockey team. Watson opened the business in 1983 as Armand’s Pizzeria & Grille with the upstairs bar, The Penalty Box. Watson sold the business to Paz in 2013, and died in 2021.
Paz said that he hopes to reopen the restaurant soon.
The restaurant released the following statement on social media:
Good afternoon,
Unfortunately earlier today we experienced a fire inside our building, everyone is okay but this has caused us to close down for the foreseeable future. We apologize for the inconvenience but we will keep everyone updated as soon as we get the updates ourselves and we look forward to opening back up as soon as possible so we can continue to provide all our customers with exceptional service. Thank you so much for understanding and we hope to see everyone soon.