Palouse tavern burns

26 building engulfed on night before new bar and grill to open; arson investigation started

In preparation for Tuesday’s grand opening, the new Brick Wall Bar and Grill in Palouse was full of customers for a “soft start” Monday night.

Hours later, in the dark of the early morning, a Palouse resident driving home from a night shift saw smoke coming from the roof.

It was not yet 4 a.m. Within an hour, flames roared into the sky as firefighters from four departments battled what turned into an inferno.

By daylight the 1889 building was gone.

By Tuesday afternoon, an investigation began to deter...