Blue Parrot, Model Cleaners destroyed in early morning fire on Mileground
Morgantown Fire Chief Mark Caravasos walks in front of Model Cleaners and The Blue Parrot as he surveys the scene early Sunday morning. (Jason DeProspero/For The Dominion Post)
Firefighters from across the county stream water on The Blue Parrot and Model Cleaners Sunday morning. (Jason DeProspero/For The Dominion Post)
Flames rip through Model Cleaners and the Blue Parrot on Sunday morning. Both buildings were total losses. (Jason DeProspero/For The Dominion Post)
Smoke and flames shoot into the sky as firefighters try and get the upper hand on a double structure fire on the Mileground early Sunday morning. (Jason DeProspero/For The Dominion Post)
What is left of The Blue Parrot begins to tilt backwards as the flames begin to subside. (Jason DeProspero/For The Dominion Post)
Morgantown Fire's Ladder One moves into position to fight the flames. (Jason DeProspero/For The Dominion Post)
Water is sprayed on the burning buildings. (Jason DeProspero/For The Dominion Post)
Both Mon County volunteers and Morgantown firefighters work to gain control of a double structure fire on the Mileground Sunday morning. (Jason DeProspero/For The Dominion Post)
Westover's Ladder 239 begins to stream water on the Model Cleaners building. (Jason DeProspero/For The Dominion Post)
Flames tear through the front of The Blue Parrot Sunday morning. (Jason DeProspero/For The Dominion Post)
Firefighters begin to draft water from a dump tank set up in front of The Blue Parrot on Sunday morning. (Jason DeProspero/For The Dominion Post)
Ladder One from Morgantown Fire Department prepares to stream water on the fire. (Jason DeProspero/For The Dominion Post)
Flames pour from the Model Cleaners building as it and The Blue Parrot burn. (Jason DeProspero/For The Dominion Post)
Firefighters work to gain the upper hand of a double structure fire of The Blue Parrot and Model Cleaners on the Mileground early Sunday morning. (Jason DeProspero/For The Dominion Post)
Westover Volunteer firefighters pour water onto the flames at the Model Cleaners building as burns alongside The Blue Parrot Sunday morning. (Jason DeProspero/For The Dominion Post)
Morgantown Fire Chief Mark Caravasos walks in front of Model Cleaners and The Blue Parrot as he surveys the scene early Sunday morning. (Jason DeProspero/For The Dominion Post)
Firefighters from across the county stream water on The Blue Parrot and Model Cleaners Sunday morning. (Jason DeProspero/For The Dominion Post)
Flames rip through Model Cleaners and the Blue Parrot on Sunday morning. Both buildings were total losses. (Jason DeProspero/For The Dominion Post)
Smoke and flames shoot into the sky as firefighters try and get the upper hand on a double structure fire on the Mileground early Sunday morning. (Jason DeProspero/For The Dominion Post)
What is left of The Blue Parrot begins to tilt backwards as the flames begin to subside. (Jason DeProspero/For The Dominion Post)
Morgantown Fire's Ladder One moves into position to fight the flames. (Jason DeProspero/For The Dominion Post)
Water is sprayed on the burning buildings. (Jason DeProspero/For The Dominion Post)
Both Mon County volunteers and Morgantown firefighters work to gain control of a double structure fire on the Mileground Sunday morning. (Jason DeProspero/For The Dominion Post)
Westover's Ladder 239 begins to stream water on the Model Cleaners building. (Jason DeProspero/For The Dominion Post)
Flames tear through the front of The Blue Parrot Sunday morning. (Jason DeProspero/For The Dominion Post)
Firefighters begin to draft water from a dump tank set up in front of The Blue Parrot on Sunday morning. (Jason DeProspero/For The Dominion Post)
Ladder One from Morgantown Fire Department prepares to stream water on the fire. (Jason DeProspero/For The Dominion Post)
Flames pour from the Model Cleaners building as it and The Blue Parrot burn. (Jason DeProspero/For The Dominion Post)
Firefighters work to gain the upper hand of a double structure fire of The Blue Parrot and Model Cleaners on the Mileground early Sunday morning. (Jason DeProspero/For The Dominion Post)
Westover Volunteer firefighters pour water onto the flames at the Model Cleaners building as burns alongside The Blue Parrot Sunday morning. (Jason DeProspero/For The Dominion Post)
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MORGANTOWN -- About the only thing left of the Blue Parrot Cabaret on Sunday afternoon was its famous marquee sign reading "Let's Go Mountaineers" on one side and "Now Hiring Dancers" on the other.
A fast-moving fire roared through the gentleman's club on Mileground Road shortly after 3:30 a.m. Sunday, leveling that structure along with Model Cleaners, a dry-cleaning establishment that sat close by.
No one was injured in the blaze that took 11 area fire companies more than seven hours to completely tame, Brookhaven Volunteer Fire Chief Jimmy Lipscomb said.
The last crew left the fire scene at 11 a.m., he said.
Both businesses were closed at the time of the fire, and no one was injured, Lipscomb said.
The two buildings were engulfed by the time crews arrived, the chief said.
"Both buildings were older, and they'd been added onto over the years," he said. "You get fire in the cracks and the walls, and that's it."
The case was turned over to the state Fire Marshal's office, Lipscomb said.
Both buildings were total losses, he said.
Wisps of smoke could be spied swirling from the embers of the ruined structures through the day Sunday, hours after the flames did their work.
As said, 11 crews from the region quickly dispatched to do their work. Morgantown and Westover fire companies lent ladder trucks for the cause.
A fire company from neighboring Mount Morris, Pa., sent its tanker truck.
Crews from Cheat Lake, the Clinton District, Cool Springs, Granville, River Road, Star City and Triune-Halleck also fought the fire, along with Brookhaven, Lipscomb's company.
Both buildings were anchors of the bustling Mileground Road business community for years.
The Blue Parrot building once housed a seafood restaurant. Model Cleaners in recent years was bought by the western Pennsylvania dry-cleaning chain of the same name.
Owners of both establishments weren't available for comment Sunday.
Despite the often R-rated nature of its business, the Blue Parrot in recent years has been both a commenter and proponent of community causes, often using that marquee sign to make its motivations known.
After hundreds of people lost their jobs at Mylan last spring, the sign called for support and sympathy of the furloughed workers, referring to them as "Heather's victims" -- a jab at Mylan CEO Heather Bresch, who is the daughter of U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va.
Two years ago, after devastating floods killed more than 20 people in southern West Virginia, the Blue Parrot's sign received national attention when it announced a fundraiser for flood relief that only the club could do.
The Blue Parrot donated proceeds from lap dances to organizations helping families swept up in the disaster.
"When a fellow West Virginian needs help, you turn around and you help," co-owner John Baron told reporters then.