MANASSAS, Va. -- Jimmy Cirrito said he first saw bartenders breathing fire at a bar in San Diego in the mid 1990s.
“We said ‘Wow, this is cool. We should do this,’” said Cirrito, who lives in Manassas Park.
So when Cirrito opened Jimmy’s Old Town Tavern in Herndon 13 years ago, fire-breathing bartenders soon became regular entertainment there.
Bartenders performed a fire-breathing trick at the tavern every Friday at midnight, and on special occasions — until July 24, when two bartenders were arrested by the Fairfax County Fire Marshal’s office.
Justin Fedorchak, 39, of Manassas, and Tegee Rogers, 33, of Herndon were charged with three felonies: manufacturing and using an explosive device, setting a fire capable of spreading, and burning or destroying a meeting house on July 24, Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department officials said in a press release.
The men were also charged with three misdemeanors of violating the state fire prevention code.
Investigators said the men were charged in connection with a fire that caused $200 in damages at the restaurant at 697 Spring St. in Herndon about 12:30 a.m. July 24.
Cirrito said the men were performing the fire-breathing trick and nothing was damaged, though some of the fire-resistant ceiling tiles have become discolored over the years.
“We don’t feel like we did anything wrong,” Cirrito said. “We’ve breathed fire for years.”
Cirrito estimates that his bartenders have breathed fire over 900 times in the past 13 years. He said the fire has never gotten out of control and no one has ever been injured.
Cirrito said he has never received a warning from the fire marshal’s office.
Officials from the Fairfax County Fire Marshal’s office could not immediately be reached for comment Wednesday evening.
A photo on Myspace shows Rogers breathing fire and a collage of other fire-breathing photos hangs on a wall in the tavern, Cirrito said.
“We have been doing this for years. We have not been trying to hide it and, in fact, we’ve been promoting it,” he said. “It’s just a show. It’s entertainment,” Cirrito said.
Rogers and Fedorchak were each released on $1,000 bond and are scheduled to appear in Fairfax General District Court on Sept. 22, according to court records.
Staff writer Amanda Stewart can be reached at 703-530-3908.
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