GERMANTOWN, Wis. (CBS 58) -- A fire destroyed Stags Tavern in Germantown early Tuesday, Aug. 4. 

Fire officials responded to the restaurant on Fond du Lac Avenue just before 4 a.m. 

An aggressive attack was required to get the fire out, according to the Germantown Fire Department. Given the location of the restaurant, there were no fire hydrants available, and water had to be shuttled in. 

Officials say more than 50 fire department personnel from more than a dozen departments worked at the scene to fully extinguish the fire. 

The building sustained major fire damage along with smoke damage and the fire department has deemed it a total loss. 

Stags Tavern shared a somber message on Facebook, saying in part: 

"Today, we watched the building burn. But these memories… these smiles… these friendships… they didn’t burn. The amount of love our family has received today has been overwhelming. Every phone call, text message, comment, prayer, hug, and offer to help has reminded us just how blessed we are to be part of this community. Most importantly, everyone made it out safely, and we are incredibly grateful to the firefighters, police and emergency responders who are still working tirelessly to protect what they can.

We don’t know what tomorrow looks like yet.

But one thing has become crystal clear today…

Stags Tavern was never built with wood, drywall, and brick. It was built with people. And looking through these photos, I know those people are still here."