Freeport, Ill. — Peter Henderson and the other employees at Pinewood Buffet & Grill were not overly concerned when they first smelled smoke coming from the attic of the Freeport restaurant.
Less than a half-hour later, the fire had consumed the majority of the building.
“It was nothing serious at first,” Henderson said. “Twenty or 30 minutes later, there were flames shooting from the roof.”
Freeport firefighters were eventually able to subdue the immense fire, which drew hordes of emergency responders to the structure at 1404 W. Galena Ave. The newly renovated restaurant, however, was severely damaged in the blaze.
Freeport Battalion Chief Jim Blackbourn said that nobody sustained injuries during the fire, adding that all customers and employees were quickly removed from the building.
“The restaurant personnel and the fire personnel made sure everyone was evacuated," Blackbourn said.
The surreal incident drew hundreds of curious residents to West Galena Avenue as firefighters struggled to mitigate the damage.
Chris Isner, who lives only blocks away from Pinewood Buffet & Grill, was among the massive group of onlookers that took in the event from afar.
“The wind blew the smoke from the fire over to my house,” he said. “I smelled the smoke and I just wanted to see what was going on. I knew that they had put a whole lot of money into this place.”
State Of Shock
Moments after firefighters had doused the flames, Henderson was still in shock about what had transpired.
“We were sweeping (in the kitchen) and it smelled like something was burning,” said Henderson, a chef at Pinewood Buffet & Grill. “We went up in the attic and there was just a little smoke at that time.”
Restaurant employees quickly contacted the Freeport Fire Department. By the time firefighters arrived, the blaze had grown significantly
“Initially, there was smoke coming from the roof and a small amount of fire on the east side of the building,” Blackbourn said. “After we sent a crew inside, the fire advanced from the attic area.”
Henderson said there were “four groups” of customers inside the restaurant at the time of the fire. All the customers were able to leave the building before the fire escalated.
Owners Todd and Amy Reid opened Pinewood Buffet & Grill in December 2010 after conducting significant renovations on the property, which formerly housed Shaun’s Place and Golden Corral. The Reids hired more than 50 workers prior to the restaurant’s opening.
Cleaning Commercial Kitchen Exhaust Systems Since 1971
5734 Bankfield Avenue
Culver City, California 90230
310-636-8361 x 203
Grant Mogford
Less than a half-hour later, the fire had consumed the majority of the building.
“It was nothing serious at first,” Henderson said. “Twenty or 30 minutes later, there were flames shooting from the roof.”
Freeport firefighters were eventually able to subdue the immense fire, which drew hordes of emergency responders to the structure at 1404 W. Galena Ave. The newly renovated restaurant, however, was severely damaged in the blaze.
Freeport Battalion Chief Jim Blackbourn said that nobody sustained injuries during the fire, adding that all customers and employees were quickly removed from the building.
“The restaurant personnel and the fire personnel made sure everyone was evacuated," Blackbourn said.
The surreal incident drew hundreds of curious residents to West Galena Avenue as firefighters struggled to mitigate the damage.
Chris Isner, who lives only blocks away from Pinewood Buffet & Grill, was among the massive group of onlookers that took in the event from afar.
“The wind blew the smoke from the fire over to my house,” he said. “I smelled the smoke and I just wanted to see what was going on. I knew that they had put a whole lot of money into this place.”
State Of Shock
Moments after firefighters had doused the flames, Henderson was still in shock about what had transpired.
“We were sweeping (in the kitchen) and it smelled like something was burning,” said Henderson, a chef at Pinewood Buffet & Grill. “We went up in the attic and there was just a little smoke at that time.”
Restaurant employees quickly contacted the Freeport Fire Department. By the time firefighters arrived, the blaze had grown significantly
“Initially, there was smoke coming from the roof and a small amount of fire on the east side of the building,” Blackbourn said. “After we sent a crew inside, the fire advanced from the attic area.”
Henderson said there were “four groups” of customers inside the restaurant at the time of the fire. All the customers were able to leave the building before the fire escalated.
Owners Todd and Amy Reid opened Pinewood Buffet & Grill in December 2010 after conducting significant renovations on the property, which formerly housed Shaun’s Place and Golden Corral. The Reids hired more than 50 workers prior to the restaurant’s opening.
Cleaning Commercial Kitchen Exhaust Systems Since 1971
5734 Bankfield Avenue
Culver City, California 90230
310-636-8361 x 203
Grant Mogford
