Stoystown restaurant and pub destroyed by fire
A Stoystown restaurant and pub was a total loss after a devastating fire Saturday.The fire at Kings & Queens Restaurant and Pub, 4533 Lincoln Highway, was ruled accidental by Stoystown Volunteer Fire Company Chief Dave Johnson. He said the state police fire marshal was called in, but he said the marshal is going to let Johnson's ruling that it was accidental stand.
Johnson said owners Denny and Kim Vought were working in the restaurant at the time the fire started."It sounds like it started in the kitchen with a grease fire," he said. "The extinguisher system was activated."
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Building evacuated
Johnson said the owners and two tenants in the upstairs apartments were able to get out by the time the fire departments arrived. A pet was lost. One tenant, an elderly male, was taken to the hospital and treated and released, Johnson said.Johnson said both of the Voughts were taken to the hospital and treated. He said Denny Vought was released but Kim was admitted. He understood she hit her head trying to get out of the building.
"They evacuated and as soon as they opened the door the wind took it (the fire)," he said.
Firefighters from Stoystown, Somerset, Listie, Friedens, Boswell, Jennerstown, Sipesville, Hooversville, Shanksville and Somerset Ambulance were dispatched at 9:45 a.m. Crews remained on the scene until 4 p.m. according to 911 dispatch. Johnson said no firefighters were injured in the incident.
Windy conditions
Johnson said the windy condition Saturday caused tremendous issues for the firefighters."It was pretty much horrific. We had serious winds," he said. "I think that if it wasn't for the winds, we would have had a lot better chance of saving it. Once the windows and doors broke out, the winds went inside and took it."Johnson said visibility along Route 30 was a major concern."The smoke was thick. You couldn't see your hand infront of your face," he said. "We were concerned about the fire units because you couldn't see if they were stopped on the road until you were right there. The smoke came all the way down to Stoystown."
Ladders not used
The wind also created an issue attacking the fire, Johnson said, because it would blow the ladders down."We couldn't use ladders. We used the ladder trucks to get to the fire from on top. We couldn't get adequate water except for the ladder truck," he said. "Finding a location to get water was tough. We used the hydrants and tankers to help. The roof collapsed to the second floor and then it partially collapsed onto the first floor."
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Walls rocking
Johnson said they had to bring in an excavator because the building had parapet walls. Parapet walls were used for castles as a railing around the edge of the roof to prevent people behind it from falling over the railing as well as keeping those attacking the castle out."The walls started to rock a little bit," he said. "We thought if we don't do something, we were afraid the wind would pick up again and it would fall over. It was sad that we had to bring it down, but we were afraid when the owners and insurance inspector came in or anybody stopping to look at it, the wall could fall on them."
Johnson praised the help the firefighters received in the day-long battle.
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The American Red Cross was called in. The Salvation Army came in later to help the firemen."The brotherhood, the mutual aid was great for what we had to deal with. The efforts of everybody was appreciated," he said. "The overwhelming support from the restaurants, residents and organizations bringing hot and cold food, coffee, water was very much appreciated. I also want to thank Somerset and Jennerstown ambulances."
This article originally appeared on The Daily American: Fire destroys Route 30 restaurant and pub
