
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: TUESDAY, November 16, 1993                   TAG: 9311160219
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: C-3   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

`SUSPICIOUS' BLAZE AT DELI INVESTIGATED

Fire investigation worked throughout the day Monday trying to determine the cause of a fire that destroyed Little Richard's Deli on Sunday morning.

When city firefighters arrived shortly before 2 a.m., the building was engulfed in flames.

Firefighters had to cut holes in the roof to get water to the blaze.

"The fast spread of the fire makes it suspicious," Roanoke District Fire Chief Bev Mitchell said.

It took firefighters about 30 minutes to bring the blaze under control and they spent most of Sunday morning dousing hot spots.

Mitchell said the fire gained momentum after the building's tar and gravel roof collapsed.

The fire started in the northwest corner of the building, which on Monday was covered by fallen debris. Investigators needed to clear away that debris before the cause of the fire could be determined.

One firefighter was taken to the hospital with an injured back and released. Two others were treated for smoke inhalation.

The restaurant was on Lee Highway near the Salem city limits. The fire was reported after Salem police spotted the blaze.

by CNB