MADERA - The Old School House on Howard Road, which has served as the Petrucci BBQ Pit and home to the family's secret Italian sauce and BBQ seasonings, burned down Sunday night. The over-100-year-old building was a complete loss. No one was injured in the fire, and CAL-Fire is still investigating the cause.
Owner Dina Petrucci told her followers on her Facebook page, "For many years, the Old School House served as a cherished rental venue, restaurant, and the home of Petrucci's tri-tip. Its walls held countless memories and stories for us and many of our friends and customers."
Most recently, Ms. Petrucci and her daughter Mika have been using the building to continue making and selling her dad, Dino Petrucci's famous Secret Sauce and Seasoning. They are now looking for a temporary space to continue manufacturing, and the space will become temporarily unavailable once the current inventory in various valley stores runs out.
"When the first unit arrived at the scene, they already had fire through the roof; the structure was fully involved. At that point, we decided to take defense actions and try to save adjacent properties," Anthony Garcia with CAL-Fire told local media.
The old schoolhouse was built in 1922 and served the community as a typical one-room schoolhouse. It served as an event venue and restaurant for many years before the family retired from the tri-tip business. The family says its walls held countless memories and stories, making it a community cornerstone.
