One of Dowagiac’s most popular dining destinations was forced to close its doors before the Fourth of July weekend, after suffering from a fire that occurred last Wednesday.

The Wounded Minnow Saloon, located on Front Street in downtown Dowagiac, was temporarily out of operation while recovering from water and smoke damages. It endured the damage after a damaged gas meter began leaking gas, which then ignited around 4:30 p.m.

Fifteen firefighters with the Dowagiac Fire Department were present on scene combating the fire, which was finally extinguished after crews from the Department of Public Services and Semco Energy dug into the ally and crimped the ruptured line shut, said Capt. Mike Mattix.

“We were able to confine the damage to the immediate area around the exterior of the building,” Mattix said.

The fire was completely extinguished at around 7:30 p.m., Mattix said. As of last week, investigators with the department were still trying to find out what damaged the gas meter.

The building itself suffered smoke and water damages, which cleanup crews spent the day on Thursday fixing, said owner Kyle Belew. The business was also awaiting repairs to its electrical system and its gas line service, the owner said.

Despite the duration of the fire, no parts of the interior received any damage from the flames itself, Belew said.

“Luckily, it’s a big old brick building,” he said. “It got hot but it didn’t catch on fire.”

That morning, crews were able to remove the accumulated water in the building’s basement, where most of the damage occurred. While only a portion of the dining area received noticeable damage from smoke, the entire space is going to need some attention before reopening, Belew said.

The owner said he wouldn’t know until at least Monday when it would be possible for the restaurant to reopen for customers. He said he would like to begin serving customers before next weekend.

“We’ll clean it up, repaint it and come back with a new lease on life,” he said.