First Avenue Fire

A fire caused minor damage to Minneapolis’ First Avenue nightclub June 3rd. A city fire investigator said the cause of the blaze was undetermined, the venue’s Nate Kranz told Pollstar.

The Minneapolis fire department said it received a call at about 6 p.m. and the fire was put out within 15 minutes. Officials say the blaze may have started in a second-floor dance studio and spread through the VIP area of the famed 1,600-capacity club.

“The damage was pretty much only to one specific area in the back VIP room of the club where we would have DJ nights,” Kranz explained. “The actual DJ stage and equipment is what burned down.”

The city’s fire investigator said the blaze could have been started by a motor in one of the turntables, or possibly by wiring in the booth, Kranz said.

No injuries were reported, and that night’s scheduled performance by The Court and Spark went on as planned.

The VIP room is expected to remain closed until July, but the rest of First Avenue will remain open. The damage won’t affect upcoming concerts at the club, but Thursday-Saturday dance nights will be canceled until the room is up and running again, Kranz said.

– Mitchell Peters