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

DATE: MONDAY, April 4, 1994                   TAG: 9404040134
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: C-1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Todd Jackson STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

NO ONE INJURED IN NIGHTCLUB FIRE

Firefighters say it is remarkable that no serious injuries were reported after a roof caved in on a dance floor, and an intense fire destroyed Mixers Restaurant & Lounge in Salem just before midnight Saturday.

Approximately 75 people were inside the nightspot at 2072 Apperson Drive when the fire broke out and flames quickly engulfed the restaurant. Capt. Ronnie Perdue of the Salem Fire Department said eyewitnesses told of hearing an explosion before the roof collapsed.

"After we received the call, I could see flames in the sky from a mile away," Perdue said.

The cause of the fire was still undetermined Sunday night, and an investigation was ongoing, Perdue said. Fire investigators did find evidence of a possible explosion, he said.

Perdue said 20 firefighters from three fire companies fought the blaze into Sunday morning.

by CNB