T-L Photos/ ROBERT A. DEFRANK and KIM NORTH The Tiltonsville Roller Rink and an unoccupied house were engulfed in fire early Wednesday. No one was hurt, but the rink, built in the late 1940s, and the house were total losses.

TILTONSVILLE — A roller rink built in the 1940s was engulfed in fire and burned to the ground early Wednesday, leaving owners and residents shocked at the loss.

Tiltonsville Assistant Fire Chief Colin Cooper pointed out the rink was a total loss. The fire had spread to a neighboring, unoccupied building, which was also a total loss. He said two other nearby houses suffered heat damage.

First responders from Martins Ferry, Dillonvale, Yorkville, Mingo, Brilliant, and Mount Pleasant arrived on scene and Bridgeport responders were on standby.

No one was injured and firefighters said the rink had been unused for many years.

“When we got here it was fully engulfed,” Lt. Brian Zinko with the Tiltonsville Fire Department said. “It got onto the house.”

Zinko said they contained the rink fire and battled the flames at the neighboring house.

He said there was no indication of a cause at this time.

“The fire marshal’s in there now doing their investigation,” Zinko said.

“It’s awful. It’s terrible,” rink owner Mary Lee Boroski said. “No one got hurt. That’s such a blessing.

“I don’t know whatever could have happened,” she added. “We’re just in shock still.”

Boroski and family members were at the scene as firefighters battled the blaze.

“I got a call … I don’t even know what time it was, that the rink was on fire,” Boroski said, “so I jumped up out of bed. I didn’t even comb my hair and I came down.

“I’ve been here since then,” she continued. “I can’t even think. It’s just a tragedy for such a happy place.”

The Tiltonsville Roller Rink was built around 1948 or 1949. Boroski mentioned that the rink had been a beloved hub of the community for a very long time.

“I grew up here. I was born here and raised here,” Boroski said. “Everyone talked about meeting here and getting married. A lot of happy times here.”