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Fire Destroys Long John Silver's Restaurant: Blaze at Star City Building Tuesday Under Investigation

Posted on: Wednesday, 25 January 2006, 09:00 CST

By Natalie Neysa Alund, The Dominion Post, Morgantown, W.Va.

Jan. 25--Fire destroyed a fast-food restaurant Tuesday morning in Star City. Flames broke out at about 5:45 a.m. at the Long John Silver's on Monongahela Boulevard near Boyers Avenue. "In my professional opinion, it's a total loss," said John Huber, Star City Volunteer Fire Department battalion chief, who helped battle flames. The fire's cause and origin remain under investigation. Firefighters learned about the blaze after someone dialed 911 on Tuesday and told a dispatcher that the Long John Silver's in Sabraton Shopping Center was on fire. But when Morgantown firefighters responded, they couldn't find a fire. So, county firefighters from Star City, Westover, Granville and Cassville volunteer fire departments checked the Long John Silver's in Star City and found the fire.

Huber said firefighters think the fire started somewhere near the drive-through window. Long John Silver's District Manager Robert Miller, who sat in his car and watched firefighters hose the building down, said the store was not supposed to open until 10 a.m. No one was in the building when the fire began and no one was injured, Huber said. After the fire began, it spread to the building's two roofs. "The building was remodeled at one time, so it has two roofs," he said. Firefighters also had to call in a tow truck from Summers Towing and Repair to remove a 1,500-pound air-conditioning unit from the roof. Huber said Summers Towing needed to remove the unit so the roof didn't collapse. "If you look at it inside, the roof is bowed from it almost caving in," Huber said. "That's one of the biggest problems -- firefighters often die because roofs collapse, because roofs can't stand the combination of the heat and the weight." Rick Maynard, public relations manager for Long John Silver's, said the Star City location opened in the early 1970s and was remodeled about 10 years ago. Maynard did not know how much the leased building was worth or how much damage was done. Twelve employees worked at the restaurant. Firefighters battled flames until about 11:30 a.m. After that, they made one more visit to the restaurant. "We had to come back one more time because the roof was misbehaving again," Huber said. "But we got it out."

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Copyright (c) 2006, The Dominion Post, Morgantown, W.Va.

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Australia:TAH,

Source: The Dominion Post (Morgantown, W.Va.)

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