Crews respond to fire at Dart Bowl building

AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Austin Fire Department responded to a structure fire at the vacant Dart Bowl building Wednesday evening.

The department tweeted at 5:34 p.m. that the fire was under control, and that the cause was under investigation. A couple hours later, the department tweeted it was working to clear remaining smoke from the building with 110 mph wind from its Smoke Buster machine.

Dart Bowl was a popular bowling alley that opened in 1958 and closed in 2020 after battling the challenges the COVID-19 pandemic brought on. Co-owner John Donovan told KXAN at the time that he fought the decision for weeks.

“I feel sad, I feel heartbroken,” he said. “There’s a certain amount of guilt, wishing I’d been able to find a way to keep it together.”

It's unclear if the building was damaged in the fire.