MECCA — A popular and historic Mecca Township business next to Mosquito Lake Reservoir burned to the ground Wednesday morning as the frozen lake could not provide enough water to quell the flames, according to a report from the Cortland fire chief.

About a dozen Trumbull County fire departments were called shortly before 8 a.m. to battle flames and smoke coming out of Chrissy’s Lake Tavern, 6071 state Route 46 NE, just south of Mecca Circle.

A neighbor called a 911 dispatcher to report the blaze saying, “the whole back is on fire.”

Fire Chief David Rea called it a total loss, with the biggest challenge being getting water on the blaze. He said the township’s two hydrants on the reservoir were almost dry because of the frozen lake.

“We got a little bit (of water) out of the lake hydrants, but not enough to make a difference,” Rea said. “We did the best we could.”

Firefighters had to ship water in via an army of tankers from the Cortland department, which is about a five-mile round trip. After first arriving, fire crews were concerned about possible explosions because of the high flames, but an Ohio Edison crew arrived by 8:40 a.m. and all utilities were cut from the business. Also on the scene was a representative from Dominion East Ohio natural gas, the report states.

Fire crews remained on the scene throughout the day as a Bazetta ladder crew assembled about 10 a.m. to water down remaining hot spots from above.

A neighbor said the fire started in a rear outside building, but Rea would not speculate on where it started. He said most of the flames were in the rear of building when they arrived. The call came in to Trumbull County 911 at 7:53 a.m. with a report that flames were bursting through the roof on the west side of the building.

Two state fire marshal investigators arrived by mid-morning to begin combing through the rubble to find a cause.

Andy Ellinger, public information officer for the fire marshal, said the investigators determined the building a total loss.

“The fire is under an open investigation, and the cause is undetermined at this time,” Ellinger said.