Crews demolish Daytona Beach hotel that caught fire

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35) - Piece-by-piece, a demolition crew brought Daytona Beach's Bayview Hotel crashing down on Saturday.

“Gotta be slow doing this,” said Mike McDonald, with Samsula Demolition, “because the structure's so bad inside that the wrong pull, the walls could blow out.”

A small crowd gathered to watch.

“It's sad,” said Aaron Robinson, who was among them, “it's sad that it's going down, you know?”

Many of them, like Gary Theel, with the All Volusia Rider's Group, had fond memories of evenings at the bar, Crooks Den, inside.

“Crooks Den has been a part of my life since I was 18 years old, so you need to give back to the community,” Theel said.

The fire left 36 people homeless. 

Along with the Red Cross, Theel and his motorcycle club are collecting goods for them.

“Toiletries, non-perishable food items and clothing for those who lost everything,” Theel said.

The workers say demolition will likely last through Monday.