A McDonald's at 850 S. Jefferson Ave. in Lebanon, Missouri, was reduced to rubble Saturday afternoon after a fire tore through the building, sending smoke pouring into the dining room and forcing customers and staff to flee just moments before the roof, walls and ceiling caved in. No customers, employees or firefighters were hurt, but the restaurant itself did not survive.
The fire broke out shortly after 4 p.m. Saturday, according to newstalkkzrg.com. As smoke began filling the dining room, employees told everyone in the lobby to evacuate immediately, per a report from wbay.com. Among those inside was 11-year-old Ansley Tidwell, who was there with her grandmother. “We walked in, and instantly we smelled the smoke,” she said, according to the same report.
Staff Called 911 Before Firefighters Even Arrived
Employees first noticed a light haze of smoke near the ceiling and felt heat around a light fixture or vent, the station's report notes. Staff called 911 and got everyone out of the restaurant before firefighters arrived on scene, according to the same account.
Once crews reached the building, they initially tried an interior attack, but conditions deteriorated fast. “We had to pull firefighters out and take a defensive posture,” a deputy fire chief said, as reported by ky3.com. Soon after, the structure gave way entirely. “The ceilings and the walls, they just collapsed,” a witness told the outlet in a separate report.
Total Loss, but No Injuries Reported
“The building is a total loss,” the deputy fire chief said, per ky3.com's initial report on the blaze. Customers escaped just before the collapse, as detailed by the WKRC report from Local 12, and despite the dramatic scene, no customers, employees or firefighters were injured.
Cause Still Undetermined Despite Kitchen Theory
Fire officials believe the blaze likely ignited in the kitchen before spreading through the rest of the building, according to a follow-up report from ky3.com. Still, the Missouri State Fire Marshal's Office has listed the official cause as undetermined. Investigators believe the fire was accidental, but the damage was so extensive that pinpointing exactly how it started may prove impossible, per the same newstalkkzrg.com account.
Lebanon does have a second McDonald's near Interstate 44, and that location was not affected by the fire, the outlet reported. The restaurant's owners have told fire officials they intend to rebuild the destroyed location, though no timetable for construction or reopening has been announced.
