A predawn fire ripped through Haskell’s Port of Excelsior in downtown Excelsior on Wednesday, leaving the iconic restaurant and liquor store heavily damaged and firefighters saying the building was likely a total loss. The fire started around 1:30 a.m. at the corner of Water Street and Lake Street.
Police were first on the scene and reported flames on multiple sides of the building, then fire crews called a second alarm for extra help. The blaze was mostly in the roof and caused extensive damage to the restaurant side, while the liquor store was not burned, according to firefighters at the scene. Crews brought the fire under control after about 90 minutes.
No injuries were reported. Firefighters remained at the site early Wednesday to watch for hot spots, and the owner was there working with the Hennepin County fire investigation team as the cause remained under investigation. Mutual aid crews from Hopkins, Shorewood, Chanhassen, Golden Valley and Minnetonka helped at the scene, underscoring the scale of the response to a fire that struck one of Lake Minnetonka’s best-known destinations.
The loss appears concentrated where the business is most visible and most used: the restaurant side, where the roof collapsed in front of the building and the damage was severe enough for firefighters to describe Haskell’s as a total loss. The liquor store side survived the fire, but the broader question for Excelsior now is how long one of the city’s signature places will remain out of service while investigators sort out what started the blaze.
