Photo courtesy of Manhattan Fire Department
At 7:25 a.m. Tuesday, the Manhattan Fire Department was dispatched to the Dairy Queen located at 3116 Anderson for a report of smoke in the building. Upon arrival, crews found a one-story restaurant building with moderate smoke and a fire located in the rear of the structure. The fire reached a second alarm before it was contained within approximately 20 minutes. At the height of the fire, 6 fire apparatus and 22 firefighters responded, with units still on scene at the time of the release. One westbound lane of Anderson Avenue was closed for approximately one hour and crews are still on scene working at the time of this release.
The building is a one-story fast food restaurant that was closed at the time of incident. The building suffered extensive smoke damage and the restaurant will be closed for an unknown amount of time. The owner of the building is listed as the Elaine D Harder Trust of Junction City, Kansas.
Fire investigators are still working on determining the exact cause, but believe that the fire is accidental originating near the storage and laundry facilities. The loss to the structure is estimated at $200,000 and another $200,000 for the contents including equipment, supplies, and food.