Huge plumes of smoke billow skyward as flames engulf popular Charlotte nightspot

Smoke billowed near the Uptown skyline as Charlotte firefighters battled a three-alarm fire that gutted the popular Morehead Tavern nightspot Saturday.

Firefighters reported smoke showing when they arrived at the building in the 300 block of East Morehead Street just before 8 a.m.

At 8:02 a.m., an evacuation tone was sounded, urging firefighters to leave the building “due to safety concerns,” according to the department.

Two minutes later, “a roof collapse was imminent,” officials said on the social media site X. At 8:30 a.m., “the structural integrity of the walls was also compromised.”

The fire took 2½ hours to control, finally accomplished by 10:23 a.m., according to the department.

Fire officials posted aerial video of the smoke as firefighters sprayed water onto the building from engine trucks.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg police closed East Morehead Street from Euclid Avenue to South Tryon Street.

“Please avoid the area and seek alternate routes,” CMPD said on social media site X.

The Lynx light rail line also was shut down.

No one was injured, MEDIC said.

Saturday was busy in Uptown, with the St. Patrick’s Day Festival and Parade and ACC men’s basketball tournament championship game. The festival ran from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and the parade from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The game between Duke and Louisville was scheduled for 8:30 p.m.

This is a developing story that will be updated.