5 years ago, Eau Claire saw one of the worst fires in its history.
Early in the morning on November 27, 1977, a fire destroyed Wagner's Lanes Bowling Alley in what firefighters at the time called the worst fire in Eau Claire history.
The fire caused around $6 million in damages. There were no casualties but the building was a total loss.
Wagner's was undergoing an expansion at the time that would have made it the largest bowling alley in the Midwest.
Archivist at the Chippewa Valley Museum Jodi Kiffmeyer said the disaster was a key event in the city's past. "What many people don't realize is that this was more than just a bowling alley," Kiffmeyer said. "There were several apartments in the complex and there were several businesses, so more than just the bowling alley went up in flames that day, some people lost there homes, and other people lost their businesses as well."