Rialto Theater

kencmcintyre on November 8, 2008 at 6:31 pm

Here is a description of the fire from the Austin, MN Daily Herald:

BEDFORD, IA â€" Fire destroyed the Rialto Theater Building in Bedford today. Preliminary estimates placed the loss at $160,000. The fire was discovered at about 2 a.m. The building was burned out, along with the Ben Scane plumbing shop and the Wogan electric shop and tavern. Both shops also were located in the theater building.

Ben Scane, the Bedford fire chief, turned in the alarm when he was awakened by the barking of his dog. Scane and his wife live in an apartment at the rear of his plumbing shop in the theater. The Scanes escaped in their night clothes. All their possessions were lost.