The fire that broke out at the Checkers located at the intersection of Glenn Avenue and Gay Street has been linked to a gas pipe burst.
The fire, which occurred at approximately 11 p.m. on Monday, July 7 was caused after a gas pipe under the main grille in the restaurant's kitchen burst.
At the scene, Auburn Fire Department battalion chief Matthew Jordan first believed the fire was caused from a buildup of grease. Jordan was able to see the full damage of the kitchen.
"Employees pulled the hood extinguishing unit and evacuated," Jordan said. "When we arrived we could see flames from the top of the structure."
There were three employees inside the Checkers at the time and there were no injuries.
According to the daughter's owner and proxy, Eva Kamal, Checkers has been closed due to damages accrued by the fire since the seventh.
"We were actually given the green light from the city to resume operations last Friday," Kamal said. "But we've had to wait for companies, such as Coca Cola, to come down here and give us the ok to continue."
Kamal said she was very disappointed in Coke because the company did not send a representative until Tuesday, July 22, 15 days after the accident.
Kamal had to put off repairing the roof, which was rotting and falling in, until after Coke left on Tuesday afternoon.
"The next morning, it didn't look like the fire did much damage at all," Kamal said. "I saw that I would have to replace the grille, but as we continued looking it was found that the damages were more severe."
Kamal said the damages are approximately $50,000.
There was extensive water damage caused by a busted water line that occurred during the fire. The water gushed into the restaurant for 15 hours before it was discovered and turned off.
"We couldn't figure out where all this water was coming from," Kamal said. "The fan was getting fried and the ceiling was falling down in clumps and the water kept coming."
Kamal said the only thing keeping her from reopening is insurance money to help fund the repairs.
"The new equipment is so expensive and I can't pay for it all on my own." Kamal said as she wrote a personal check to one of her employees. "I wanted to keep my employees so I have been paying them every day we have been closed, even using my personal money."
The employees of Checkers spent the entire weekend after the fire helping clean and trying to salvage the restaurant's kitchen.
The fire was the fourth claim filed by Checkers in the past year. Twenty days before, the main freezer broke down and it was five days before the contracted company made any attempt at a repair. All of the food on the premises was spoiled.
"Hopefully we can be back and operational by this Tuesday," Kamal said. "After all of the rough patches we have had, I'm planning on coming back with a bang."
Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman.
