Falcon North, the North Long Beach gay bar, is closed after a fire destroyed the patio Sunday morning after the watering hole was closed. Photo: Michael Barber Instagram
UPDATE: Falcon North will reopen on Aug. 4.
Falcon North, the North Long Beach gay bar, is closed after a fire destroyed the patio Sunday morning after the watering hole was closed.
Owner Michael Barber posted a video on social media showing the outside destruction and said nobody was injured.
“Well, obviously no beer bust at Falcon North today,” he said. “This happened sometime after closing last night.
“Anyway we will make lemonade and get this cleaned up, and hopefully back up as usual by next weekend,” Barber said. “It could have been worse and no one was hurt.”
It’s unclear if Falcon North, which is located on East Artesia Boulevard, was targeted because it’s a gay business or it was a random incident, Barber said.
Jack Crabtree, a spokesman with the Long Beach Fire Department, said the fire was intentionally set, and the investigation is ongoing.
Security footage at 5:04 a.m shows someone on a bicycle putting some type of accelerant under the Falcon North patio fence, igniting some wood on the patio, Barber said.
A neighboring security saw the video surveillance and called the Long Beach Fire Department.
Crabtree said firefighters arrived shortly after 5 a.m. and extinguished the patio fire.
The interior of the bar was not destroyed, and the propane tanks on the patio are empty, Barber said.
Barber is “optimistic” that Falcon North will reopen on Friday, or by Long Beach Pride weekend, Aug. 4 and 5, at the latest.
Falcon North opened in 2017 as Eagle 562, a leather bar. It took over the former site of the well-known leather bar Pistons, which closed April 17, 2016, after 51 years at the location, and catered to the same crowd.
In June 2021, the bar changed its name to Falcon North.
It hosts a variety of special events: Latin night, bear night, karaoke, and leather night.
