COEUR d’ALENE — A fire at the Sunset Bar, one of Coeur d’Alene’s iconic taverns, shut the business down Monday afternoon as firefighters tore through an outside wall looking for the source of smoke.

Firefighters were called to the scene of a structure fire around 1:30 p.m., when someone from a nearby business reported flames and smoke on the east side of the building at 122 E. Appleway.

Firefighters found white smoke seeping from the structure when they arrived with three engines, two ambulances and a ladder truck, said Battalion Chief Lee Holbrook.

“Half of that was canceled pretty quickly,” Holbrook said.

Patrons in the bar were initially unaware of a fire in the back, outside wall of the building.

“They noticed the lights flickering,” Holbrook said.

The bar cleared out as firefighters tried to reach the hot spot by removing siding. Electricity to the building was cut and a dry chemical extinguisher was used to snuff out flames.

One lane of Appleway was temporarily blocked for about an hour as engines parked in the street. Firefighters cleared the scene around 2:30 p.m., according to the department.

Holbrook said the bar likely will not have electricity until wiring is checked or replaced.

The Sunset Bar, the oldest continuously operating business on Appleway, is one of the area’s original taverns and has been at its present location in various forms. It was the Polka Dot Cafe Tavern in the 1950s, according to History of the Bars of Coeur d’Alene, a local blog.

Telephone calls to the tavern after Monday’s incident were not answered.