Juveniles arrested in connection with Old Fish Hatchery fire
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Three juveniles have been arrested in connection with a fire that damaged the historic Old Fish Hatchery Building in San Marcos late Sunday night.
The historic building has been a mainstay of San Marcos for nearly 120 years. For the last three decades, it’s served as a community gathering place in the city’s Plaza Park near the banks of the San Marcos River.
"It's a perfect location,” Hays County Constable David Peterson said. “It's a central area for families to come in and have picnics, to do the barbecue cook-off that we do for Juneteenth."
The building has hosted city news conferences and other events. It's probably best known for its role in the annual Sights and Sounds of Christmas.
Peterson said he hopes the Old Fish Hatchery will be repaired faster than the Lion’s Club Tube Rental building. An intentionally-set fire destroyed that building in 2009. It took more than two years to reopen.
"With a historical building like that, if you've got to go in and you've got to replace wood on it, it's not the same wood," Peterson said.
The San Marcos Fire Marshal's Office is conducting the fire investigation. Damage estimates range from $75,000 to $100,000.