EXCELSIOR, Minnesota, May 6, 2026, 07:03 CDT
- Fire broke out around 1:30 a.m. at Haskell’s Port of Excelsior, a Lake Minnetonka restaurant and liquor-store site.
- Officials reported no injuries; the cause remained under investigation.
- Crews kept flames from spreading into the liquor store, but the restaurant side suffered extensive damage.
An overnight fire heavily damaged Haskell’s Port of Excelsior, a long-running Lake Minnetonka bar, restaurant and liquor-store site, early Wednesday, forcing firefighters into a 90-minute fight at one of the west metro’s better-known summer gathering spots.
The timing is awkward for downtown Excelsior. Haskell’s sits at Water Street and Lake Street, a high-traffic corner near the lake, and local reports described the business as a popular warm-weather stop as Minnesota heads toward the summer boating and patio season.
Interim Excelsior Fire Chief Nate Basinger told CBS Minnesota the call came in around 1:30 a.m. Police arrived first and found “quite a bit of fire,” and no injuries were reported. CBS News
Firefighters from five departments helped bring the blaze under control in about 90 minutes, Basinger said. FOX 9 reported that crews called a second alarm — a request for more firefighters and equipment — after seeing fire on multiple sides of the building.
The heaviest damage was on the restaurant side and in the roof, FOX 9 reported, citing Basinger. The roof collapsed near the front of the building, leaving smoldering debris, while crews prevented the flames from extending into the liquor store.
Basinger described the damage to CBS Minnesota as “fairly extensive.” He said Haskell’s was “an institution” in Excelsior and that the fire would affect the community. CBS News
KSTP reported that fire crews were still at the scene Wednesday morning assessing damage. The station said the building houses a bar, restaurant and liquor store, and that officials at the scene said nobody was hurt.
The business has deeper reach than one lakeside address. Haskell’s Wine & Spirits said in a company history post that the brand began in 1934 in downtown Minneapolis after Prohibition ended, and that the Excelsior location opened in 1977. The company said it now operates 10 corporate stores, three franchises and two delis.
That makes the fire both a neighborhood blow and a test for a regional retailer whose Excelsior site doubles as a hospitality venue. The Minnesota Star Tribune reported Haskell’s Port of Excelsior is one of 10 Haskell’s locations in the Twin Cities and is known for daily food specials.
The main uncertainty is the cause. Officials had not said what started the fire, and FOX 9 reported that the owner was on site working with the Hennepin County fire investigation team. Damage estimates, reopening plans and the status of the liquor-store side were not immediately clear.
