SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The future of a beloved bowling alley in Sacramento, which caught on fire Sunday afternoon, is to be determined.
At the scene behind AMF Land Park Lanes, where investigators say the fire started, all that is left is the shell of a burnt couch, a grocery cart, some clothes and ashes everywhere.
Natasha Anderson said it was just like any other day as she started her shift at the bowling alley when she noticed a fire around 1 p.m.
"I looked behind our building and it was just like flames... and so I ran and I was on my walkie-talkie saying that there's a fire to everyone. Then I ran in the building, was like, 'fire, fire,'" said Anderson, an employee.
Anderson jumped into action by helping customers quickly evacuate the building.
When the Sacramento Fire Department arrived shortly after, they found a couch behind the bowling alley fully engulfed in flames.
Nearby neighbors who live directly behind the building said they've seen a couple living in the area behind the alley, but right now officials are not saying if they might be linked to the fire.
"We know that the cause of this fire was from the couch that extended into the building. We don't know at this point how that couch caught on fire. It could have been a cooking fire. There are numerous factors that our investigators have to look at," said Justin Sylvia, Public Information Officer for the Sacramento Fire Department.
Sylvia said the fire then extended from the couch into the building, making its way into the attic.
"This has a metal roof on it so accessing that fire in the attic was very difficult for our units," added Sylvia.
The fire department said there are numerous videos from the area that are being looked at and will be investigated.
At this point, the bowling alley is shut down until it can be assessed for damage.
Darren Tsumura, who belongs to the Sacramento Nisei Bowling Association, said he's in shock and is wondering what this means for local bowling leagues.
"It's been around for quite a while. There's not a whole lot of options these days. You know, there's an alley in Elk Grove but really Land Park has been pretty much the only alley that most of the leagues have been going to," said Tsumura.
He's hoping the bowling alley will eventually be able to bounce back, because a lot of people utilize it to socialize and interact with each other.
Officials said there is extensive damage inside the bowling alley because of all the water used to put out the fire. Officials said they don't know when repairs will be made or when, and if, the bowling alley will reopen.
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