Fire officials are still monitoring a blaze that destroyed an Ord bowling alley.

The flames stared on Saturday night and continue to smolder as local high schoolers checked out their damaged alley.

"We have so many memories in there and we had so much fun. It's just like it was erased," said Rachel Rouse, bowling team senior.

A Nebraska community has lost a popular hang-out -- a bowling alley went up in flames and there's a lot more that was lost than just the structure.

A week after winning a state title, Rachel Rowse and her teammates are saying good bye to the bowling alley that got them there.

"It was really really amazing winning state finally for my senior year. It's an amazing way to go out, and then it just feels like it was destroyed, like I have nothing to show for it," Rowse said.

"All my high school bowlers store their equipment here. All our trophies, state memorabilia, everything was inside, and now it's all just gone," said Kristina Manasil,Burwell/Ord/Arcadia bowling coach.

A fire destroyed the building only a half hour after owners Dan and Tammy Hruza closed up shop for the night.

"A friend of mine called me on my cell phone that the place was on fire and just couldn't hardly believe it at first. We'd just left there a half hour ago," said Dan Hruza.

The owners don't know if they'll rebuilt the bowling alley, but for now, the fires are still burning.

"The best thing we can do is just totally let it burn up, let it burn itself out in there. We've put lots of water on it and with the old tarred roof, it's just going to be impossible to put out," said Randy Wilson, Ord Fire Chief.

But once the fire dies down, the community hopes a new bowling alley will rise from the ashes.

"A lot of people bowled here. It means a lot. I hope we can get this rebuilt," Wilson said.

The state champion bowling team also hopes to get the alley rebuilt.

Their coach said she doesn't know where the future of the program will be without this building.

There's no word yet on the cause of the fire. The Fire Marshall is expected to start investigating after the fire burns out in the next day or two.

*Click on the photo album submitted by Bradley Babb of Ord to see the destruction.