JEFFERSON TWP. — UPDATE @ 11 p.m.
Massive flames Friday afternoon destroyed the Drexel Drive Thru.
Billowing smoke from the fire, reported around 3:10 p.m at the West Third Street business, could be seen for miles.
Jefferson Twp. Fire Lt. Shingai Calhoun said no one was injured. The cause appears to be electrical, though he said the blaze remains under investigation.
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The cold weather did not cause any problems for firefighters in the afternoon, but it will through the night as temperatures drop.
Sunshine during the day kept the water coming from fire hoses from turning to ice on West Third Street. But the darker it got, the greater the chance for slick conditions.
“Yeah, that’s definitely going to be a problem. We’ll get some salt trucks down here, make sure the road’s clear,” Calhoun said.
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Bystanders across the street from the fire said the drive-through it’s the closest place to get food in that part of town, and has been a mainstay in the neighborhood for decades.
“Breaks your heart to see something like this go down because it’s the oldest Drexel building around,” Drexel resident Raleigh Wilson said.
“It’s very devastating for something that you know people work so hard and put so much effort into and they actually care about their community. ... That not only means something to them but also means something to all of these people,” Breann Hill of Dayton said of nearby residents.
FIRST REPORT
Multiple fire crews have responded to a fire at the Drexel Drive-Thru on West Third Street in Jefferson Twp. Friday.
Heavy smoke and flames were reported coming from the structure in the at the intersection of West Third Street and Infirmary Road around 3:10 p.m. Friday.
Deputies have also been requested to the scene to help with routing traffic around the scene, according emergency dispatch traffic. It was not immediately known what portions of West Third Street would be blocked.
We have a crew on the way and we’ll update this page as details become available.
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