Fires close two restaurants
Eighty firefighters battle Maple Road blaze
by DAVID F. SHERMAN Managing Editor

Getzville firefighter Greg Burow suits up to begin the battle against a raging fire at Chang's Garden Restaurant, 938 Maple Road, early Saturday morning. Crews remained at the scene for more than five hours. Photo by David F. Sherman Purchase color photos at www.BeeNews.com

Fires at two Amherst restaurants within less than 24 hours last week caused nearly $1 million in damages.

(See editorial on page four)

Neither fire is believed to be suspicious in origin.

The first, at the McDonald's, 5150 Sheridan Drive near Hopkins Road, broke out at 10:19 a.m. Friday. The second blaze gutted Chang's Garden Restaurant, 938 Maple Road at Sundown Trail, at 4:55 a.m. Saturday.

An employee of McDonald's reported smoke in the basement and was instructed by Amherst Fire Control dispatchers to close the door and evacuate the building. When Williamsville firefighters arrived, they discovered not only the basement filling with smoke, but the first floor seating area as well.

Main-Transit firefighters responded directly to the scene, and a crew from Snyder was used as a Firefighter Assist and Search Team.

Flames roll from the roof of Chang's Garden Restaurant shortly after 5 a.m. last Saturday. Getzville firefighters were assisted by manpower and equipment from Williamsville, East Amherst, Snyder, Eggertsville, North Bailey and Ellicott Creek. Photo by David F. Sherman Purchase color photos at www.BeeNews.com

Williamsville Fire Chief Richard Maddigan said crews entering the basement had difficulty locating the seat of the fire because of supplies stacked throughout the basement. He said the boxes blocked their progress and limited the effectiveness of their thermal imaging camera, designed to see through smoke.

Firefighters eventually found their way to a storage room at the rear of the basement and extinguished the flames.

The fire was under control in less than 40 minutes, with damage to the contents listed at $50,000. The cause is still under investigation.

The fire at Chang's Garden Restaurant was more dramatic, with damage estimated at $750,000. The rear of the structure, located on the west end of the Boardwalk Boutiques Plaza, was later demolished by Amherst Highway Department personnel for safety reasons.

Williamsville firefighters encountered heavy smoke conditions among a large inventory of combustible materials inside the basement of the McDonald's at 5150 Sheridan Drive last Friday morning. Photo by Jessica L. Finch Purchase color photos at www.BeeNews.com

It was the biggest commercial building fire in Amherst in 11 years, since the Fay's drugstore in the Grover Cleveland Plaza was destroyed on May 20, 1996.

Dispatchers received a cellular call at 4:55 from a motorist on his way to work, reporting flames coming from the roof of the restaurant.

Getzville Fire Chief Irv Isenberg requested a second alarm within just 11 minutes, as flames were extending through a dormer on the west side of the building as well as the point where the restaurant adjoins the remainder of the sprawling plaza.

"My main concern was that the fire was spreading rapidly," said Isenberg. "We set up our ladder truck at the east side of the building to make a stand and stop it before it ran through the rest of the plaza."

Crews entered the building through the front door and seating area, finding little fire extension until they reached the kitchen. However, the fire continued to spread above them, weakening the truss roof and eventually causing a collapse.

Isenberg ordered crews to switch to an exterior attack, and ladder trucks from Getzville and East Amherst shot water into the kitchen area from above. The north wall of the kitchen toppled shortly thereafter.

Williamsville later employed its aerial ladder to allow firefighters to remove the metal roof at the back of the building and extinguish hot spots along the roof line.

Also responding to the scene were firefighters from Snyder, Eggertsville and North Bailey. Ellicott Creek provided standby coverage at the Getzville fire hall during the incident. Isenberg estimated 80 firefighters were on hand at the scene.

Also damaged were two adjacent businesses: Salon John Paul at 940 Maple Road and North East Cleaners and Shirt Laundry at 942 Maple Road.

John Paul Lauricella said Monday he will return to Capello Salon & Day Spa at 5422 Main St. He said his salon was a total loss as a result of the fire.

"Providence has a way of working in our lives," said Lauricella in a press release.

The fire was declared under control just before 7 a.m. although crews remained at the scene for three more hours performing overhaul operations and assisting in the demolition of the rear of the building. The cause is under investigation.

An adjacent garage at 306 Sundown Trail sustained $3,000 in exposure damage. One firefighter was transported to Millard Fillmore Suburban Hospital for evaluation and a second was treated at the scene and remained on duty.

e-mail: dsherman@beenews.com