Fire Razes Landmark Fish Inn Early Morning Blaze Under Investigation

A fire on Saturday destroyed a fish-shaped bar and restaurant that was considered one of Kootenai County’s landmarks.

The Fish Inn - voted one of the best road bars in America by Road & Track Magazine - caught fire at about 5 a.m., said Idaho State Fire Marshal Glenn Lauper.

It took firefighters from Kootenai County, Post Falls and Hayden about an hour and a half to put the blaze out, said Capt. Aaron Jones of the Kootenai County Fire District.

By then, the bar was destroyed.

“I’m still in shock right now,” said Threasa Nelson, the bar owner, who was also suffering from laryngitis.

“That was everything to her,” said Ken Fox, her son-in-law.

Investigators still are looking into what may have caused the blaze, Lauper said.

An arson detection dog was brought in to go over the scene on Saturday.

“We weren’t going to leave anything unturned,” said Deputy Fire Chief Ron Sampert.

The Fish Inn was located off Interstate 90 near Wolf Lodge Bay.

The inn was built in the shape of a fish, with the front door set inside of the creature’s gaping mouth.

Dollar bills with customers’ signatures and other messages lined the bar walls.

Sampert said he was told the bar dates back at least to the 1930s, Fox said it may be even older than that.

“I remember when I was a little kid seeing it and my dad taking us there,” Sampert said.

Fox said he had just put a new floor into the establishment on Friday.

The bar then closed at 2 a.m. Saturday morning, Lauper said.

No one was injured in the fire.

But, “I know a few people are going to be out of jobs,” Fox said.

, DataTimes