Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, April 5, 1994 TAG: 9404050094
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DIANE STRUZZI STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
It ripped through the roof, shattered windows and curled the metal on a sign near the entrance way. More than 70 patrons escaped, uninjured.
That was a miracle, according to Salem fire officials, who suspect that the fire was the work of an arsonist. The disc jockey was one of the luckiest people in the establishment, said Salem Fire Capt. Pat Counts. When the ceiling caved in, he got trapped in a corner but was able to crawl out amid the debris.
Salem and state police continue to investigate the incident. On Monday, fire officials took samples of the debris as part of the investigation.
In the afternoon, Irene Ferguson peered into the charred structure to look for her purse and some expensive glasses that she had left on a table. At the time of the fire, Ferguson said, she was in the entrance alcove. "We heard an alarm," she recounted. "I thought it was the guys playing with a car alarm. But we kept hearing this shrill alarm. And all of a sudden, Boom! The entrance doors blew open and everyone came running out and the roof was already on fire."
Saturday's suspicious fire is the second in less than a week to hit a Salem restaurant. Early Friday, a storage area at A Taste of India located in the Lakeside Plaza was set ablaze. The establishment has closed as a result. No one in that incident was injured. Fire investigators say the two are separate and unrelated incidents.
In November, Little Richard's Deli, near Mixers Restaurant, was destroyed by a fire also labeled as suspicious by fire officials.
by CNB