McDonald’s on Providence Road remains closed after fire; cause still not determined
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
The new McDonald’s on Providence Road remains temporarily closed after a fire Tuesday forced people to evacuate the restaurant.
The investigation into what caused the fire is still ongoing. Columbia Fire Department Chief Brian Schaeffer said crews arrived within two minutes and found heavy smoke coming from the building.
“There were vehicles that were in line, waiting for food and to make their orders,” Schaeffer said. “It was pretty chaotic. People were trying to evacuate, and interestingly, people were also trying to go inside.”
Schaeffer said firefighters first focused on evacuating the restaurant and making the area safe while other crews worked to locate and extinguish the fire.
“So their first priority is rescue, and in this case, evacuation,” Schaeffer said. “They evacuated the store, made that area safe to work. Simultaneously, we were putting ourselves in a position to locate and extinguish the fire.”
Schaeffer said the fire was burning inside concealed spaces in the building. Firefighters cut openings into the exterior to reach and extinguish it.
“You’ll see squares throughout the building on that address side where firefighters had to cut into,” Schaeffer said. “They did it in a way to preserve the stability of the structure itself. It gave us access to where the fire was and allowed us to extinguish it.”
Schaeffer said the department’s quick response saved the building.
“The fact that we were able to arrive within two minutes, get the fire exposed from the outside, fight the fire and stop its progress from entering that horizontal space really did save the building,” Schaeffer said. “They were really racing against the clock when they arrived, and they just did a spectacular job.”
Two firefighters received medical attention at the scene after experiencing heat exhaustion, Schaeffer said. He said both later went home and had recovered by Wednesday morning.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation. Schaeffer said investigators are reviewing forensic information and surveillance video to determine the cause.
In a statement to ABC 17 News, local McDonald’s owner/operator Ryan Ruprecht said, “The cause of the fire remains under investigation, and we are continuing to assess the extent of the damage. Our restaurant remains temporarily closed as we evaluate the next steps, with the safety of our employees and guests as our top priority. We are incredibly grateful to the firefighters and all first responders for their swift response, professionalism, and dedication to keeping our community safe.”
