BELLEVUE, Neb. (WOWT) – Bellevue’s iconic Stella’s Bar and Grill is closed after a fire Wednesday morning.
The restaurant shared the news shortly after 10 a.m. Wednesday in a social media post.
“This a hard post to share, but Stella’s suffered a bad fire this morning. We will be closed until further notice. We are heartbroken,” Stella’s writes in the post.
In a briefing from the Bellevue Fire Department, officials shared that a call came in shortly after 7 a.m. Wednesday when a delivery driver saw smoke in the building.
Firefighters did not initially see an active fire when they entered the building. Later, they found a smoldering fire in the basement that extended upward into the floor and walls.
BFD is investigating a pile of used rags found on the basement floor as a possible source of the ignition.
While extinguishing the fire, crews discovered that a water pipe directly above the fire had become dislodged, causing water to flow out. The combination of fire and water has resulted in electrical, plumbing, structural and smoke damage.
Contractors and city inspectors will need to determine when Stella’s can reopen, according to BFD.
Community reacts to closure
Regular customers expressed disappointment at the closure of what many consider a neighborhood institution.
“That’s very unfortunate. I mean, this is an institution that’s been around for a long time. They serve great food. I hope they can get rebuilt and get going again,” said Gary Friedenbach, a patron.
Friedenbach recalled the restaurant’s last fire in the 1970s.
“I was here when the last fire. Matter of fact, I was sitting on the stool closest to the grill when the whole grill went up in flames,” Friedenbach said.
Stella’s owner confirmed that fire was the last time the restaurant caught fire.
Community offers support
Local residents have offered to help with recovery efforts.
“God, I love this place. It’s one of those staples in Bellevue that you just don’t really find in many places that’s actually like mom and pop owned,” said Quentin Zart, who lives nearby.
“I actually was at this conference and I was like, I’ll come over here right now and see if they need anything. I work construction. So I was like, if they have anything they need, at least I can help them real quick,” Zart said.
There were no injuries in the incident. BFD says the restaurant was very fortunate the delivery driver caught this early; otherwise, it would have been longer before employees started showing up for work.
The community has launched a fundraiser in support of Stella’s. Donations can be made on Venmo at @stellasfundraiser.
“While Stella’s does carry insurance, coverage does not fully account for all expenses associated with recovery,” a statement reads.
An account has been made at First Interstate Bank under the name “Stella’s Fundraiser.” You can give money directly to the bank.
—
Watch breaking news unfold on our livestream. Download the First Alert 6 streaming app to your TV or find us in your favorite streaming platform.
Copyright 2026 WOWT. All rights reserved.
Dining and Cooking