American Legion building damaged in Port Orange fire

PORT ORANGE, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35) - An early morning fire damaged American Legion Post 270 in Port Orange on Friday.

City of Port Orange Fire Marshal Beau Gardner said firefighters got the call around 2 a.m. and responded to the fire on Howes Avenue. 

Howes said the fire was contained to one wall and the attic space near the bar, and crews extinguished the fire pretty quickly. 

Howe said he is investigating the cause of the fire, but said preliminary reports show an electrical problem may have started it. 

“They had a report of some electrical problems earlier in the evening and they reached out to a member who was an electrician who stopped by,” Gardner said.

Five hundred veterans are members at American Legion Post 270. 

They had to cancel a fish fry scheduled for Friday night because there is a lot of smoke and water damage inside the building.

Dick Poulin, first vice commander for American Legion Post 270, came out to the post when he heard about the fire. 

The Air Force veteran has been attending events at the location since it opened 20 years ago. 

He said he’s devastated about the fire. 

“Terrible. A lot of memories. But just wait and see what’s been hurt, what [hasn’t] been hurt,” Poulin said.

Poulin said members will have to assess the damage and figure out how to move forward.