SLIGO, Clarion County — The restaurant that has been in the borough for more than a century was destroyed by fire Monday night.

The Korner Restaurant, which stands at the corner of Colerain and Bald Eagle streets, caught fire shortly after 8 p.m. and was quickly engulfed in flames.

Units from the Sligo Volunteer Fire Department, which is right down the street, were met with a large blaze when they arrived at the restaurant.

“We were on scene within a couple minutes of the call but it was rolling pretty good by the time we got there,” said fire Chief Kerry Graham.

About 40 firefighters from six volunteer fire departments were eventually there.

It took more than an hour to control the flames in the restaurant owned by Linda and William Himes.

“It was a stubborn fire,” Graham said. “I wish we could've got it out quicker but it was already too far gone when we got there.”

There was no one in the restaurant at the time. Graham said it was closed shortly before the fire started.

The single story building had what Graham called a “double ceiling,” which made it difficult for firefighters to battle the blaze in the attic.

It got more challenging when part of the roof caved into the re-enforced ceiling, making it unsafe for firefighters to enter the building.

Graham said the fire was under control by 10 p.m., but units remained at the site until about 1:30 a.m.

The fire marshal was called to investigate. Graham said it is believed the cause was electrical and started in the dinning room. It is not considered suspicious.

The estimated value of the damage is $300,000.

Graham said there is insurance on the building, but he did not know for how much.

The fire marked an unfortunate ending to St. Patrick's Day for Sligo, which is named in honor of an Irish town.

“We didn't realize that at the time, but it was pointed out later,” Graham said. “The town has a big Irish heritage.”

While the Korner Restaurant had been around for years, the building itself was even older.

“It was a very old building,” he said. “It was over a century old.”

It played a vital role for the small community.

“It's the only diner in town,” Graham said, adding his family went to the restaurant frequently. “A lot of people gathered there. For some people, it's where they ate supper every night.”

The fire brought attention to the borough.

“We've had quite a bit of traffic with people coming to see what happened,” Graham said. “It's a big deal.”

The landmark in the small town must now be demolished.

“It's still unstable,” Graham said. “It very unsafe because part of the roof caved in. If a storm comes through, it could knock it onto the road.”

Graham hopes the building will be torn down early this coming week.