BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — A Buffalo man is accused of setting The Old Pink on fire in June after a confrontation with a security guard, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
The fire at the historic restaurant and bar in Buffalo's Allentown neighborhood was ruled an arson in August and on Friday investigators announced 40-year-old John W. Burns was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with federal arson. The charges carry a minimum penalty of five years in prison and a maximum of 20 years in prison.
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Burns was at The Old Pink and had a confrontation with a security guard. After the confrontation, Burns allegedly left and told the security guard he would return to “burn that b***h down” and “ain’t nobody going to have a job." The restaurant and bar was engulfed in flames hours later.
Investigators said video evidence was obtained that shows an individual setting the building on fire. Burns was identified by witnesses as the individual in the video.
“Arson is an extremely dangerous crime, placing lives and property in danger. Arson has tremendous ripple effects, leaving people homeless, without employment, or both. Here, the arson of the Old Pink left employees without jobs and destroyed an iconic gathering place in the Buffalo community. Such harm to our community will not be tolerated. My office will continue to investigate and prosecute all persons who commit arson, and other federal crimes, that negatively impact the Western District of New York.”
In the video below, you can see construction crews knock down what was left of The Pink after the fire.
The bar meant a lot to the community, its employees and its patrons.
After the fire, the community showed up to what was left of the iconic bar for a candlelight vigil.
"I grew up here, lived here, wandered these streets...everybody from homeless people to rock stars...they all fit in this place...it all worked," said Takac. "It was more about the way you thought and less about how much you had or any kind of that stuff. It's time to march on, but people will always remember this."
7 News also spoke with Molly Brinkworth, the longtime owner of The Pink. She shared the same sentiment as Takac, saying in part that the customers made the bar a family.
"At the end of the day it's my customers, they made my bar a family and we became this subculture of craziness," said Brinkworth. "I'm so lucky that I got to sit on my bar stool and I met people from around the world."
