Old Barney's received extensive fire damage Monday morning as the freezer in the back sparked an electrical fire. (Photos by Wayne Dean)

WARRENSBURG, Mo. -- One of the city's best-known bars has been heavily damaged in an early morning fire.

Old Barney's, 112 Hout St. in downtown Warrensburg, burned early Monday, gutting much of the bar.

Bar manager Maurice Haney told Digitalburg the fire department determined the fire started when the freezer in the back sparked an electrical fire.

Haney got a call at 3:30 a.m. and got to the bar soon after, he said. He was still there at 12:30 p.m.

*Haney said firefighters put out the fire and stood by as a precaution until 11:30 a.m.

Bar owner Marvin Winger bought the bar a little more than a year ago from Ron Goodwin, he said, and wasn't sure what is going to happen next.

"I honestly have no idea," Winger said. "We have to talk to the insurance company and just go from there."

In a recent feature story for Digitalburg.com, Haney and assistant manager Lora Campbell talked about the popularity of the place known for the "Barney Burger" and "the coldest beer in town."

"The college and the Air Force have really kept us going,"� Haney told reporter Emily Jarrett.

"We also get a lot of people who have moved away and when they come back for Homecoming or a graduation, they always stop in and tell a story about how much they liked Barney's."

"We get a lot of different people in here, old and young, from all sorts of backgrounds,"� said Campbell. "But we just like to joke around and have a good time. We don't take things too seriously around here."�

Campbell has worked as an assistant manager at Barney's for the past two years. "Oh yeah, we get a lot of regulars in here," she said. "Sometimes I'll recognize their cars and when they walk in the door, I've got their drink ready for them."�

Brandon Gauchat is one of those regulars.

I've been coming here for about three years," Gauchat said. "I come in for lunch a lot or I'll meet friends here at night and play pool. I like it because I just know everybody."

"Everybody's got a Barney's story,"� said Campbell.

"I think Barney's will always be open,"� Haney said. "Life just wouldn't be the same without it."

If you have a story to tell about Old Barney's, email it to digitalburg@yahoo.com, and we will share it with our readers. Please include your name and year of graduation or city where you live.