By: Brenna White
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
publisher@thevillagereporter.com
The longtime home of WBNO and WQCT Radio in Bryan was declared a total loss early Saturday morning, May 24th, after a devastating structure fire tore through the building located at 12810 State Route 34.
The fire, which reportedly began around 4 a.m., prompted a major response from multiple area fire departments, including units from Bryan, Edgerton, Montpelier, Stryker, Edon/Florence Township, and Alvordton. Witnesses say firefighters remained on scene battling the blaze past 7 a.m., utilizing aerial fire trucks to control the flames.
The building, a local landmark known most for housing WBNO B-Rock 100.9 FM, has served the community for decades as a hub for music, news, and local broadcasting. Officials confirmed the structure is a complete loss.
One neighboring resident shared that the fire seemed to erupt suddenly in the early hours of the morning and continued for a length of time before being fully extinguished.
That same resident also observed water bubbling up from the ground in a perfect circle nearby – possibly signaling damage to the underground water line as well.
WBNO posted an update on their Facebook page Saturday afternoon. “By now most of NW Ohio has heard the news. Our work home suffered a devastating fire last night that has left the building, and our hearts completely gutted. It is for all intents and purposes a total loss.”
“Thankfully nobody was in the building when the fire broke out so the best news we can report is nobody was injured. B Rock and Q 96.5 and 1520 AM have been the heartbeat of the community since the 1960s and many of us that have worked there have called the building a second home for 10, 20, 30 plus years so are shattered by this fire.”
“We are family, and that family extends to listeners, advertisers, schools, non-profit organizations and many more. You have built us and kept us going for over 60 plus years and we are so grateful and so thankful for all of you.”
“The love that we have felt in the hours since the fire HSA been overwhelming. So, to all of you that texted or called or emailed or posted on social media…thank you so very much!! The next question now is where do we go from here and what do we do next?”
“Well, we have been in touch, of course, with our amazing owner and we are so happy to tell you that we are going to rebuild!! We aren’t going anywhere!!”
“The road may be long, and the journey may be a long and winding road (apologies to the Beatles) but B Rock and The Q means too much to all of us. Now what that looks like on what timetable, well we just don’t know yet. But stay tuned!!”
“We know that we can count on NW Ohio for love and support because that’s what we do here in our corner of the world. We are there for each other in tough times.”
“So, follow this page. Share this page. Get others following this page. And that includes the Q 96.5 page too. Thank you again from all of us at B Rock and Q 96.5. From these ashes, we will rise again. Bigger and better than ever before.”
At this time, the cause of the fire is under investigation.