A landmark restaurant is likely destroyed after a fire at the Covington Twp. eatery Wednesday morning.
Firefighters spent about five hours at Jaque's Place, 1082 Drinker Turnpike, starting at 1:30 a.m., Covington Fire Chief Brad Jones said.
When they arrived, first responders immediately conducted a search of the first-floor restaurant and second-floor apartment, but no one was found. That's when the blaze began to build, and eventually, turned into a three-alarm fire.
Jaque's Place is in an older building constructed with heavy timber, so the fire intensified and spread quickly, making the job extremely difficult and dangerous, Chief Jones said. Crews battled the fire until about 6:30 a.m.
"We're all pretty shot," Chief Jones said in a phone interview two hours after he returned to the station.
The building is still standing, but because of the damage it is likely a total loss, he said. The cause of the fire is undetermined, but state police fire marshals are investigating, Chief Jones said.
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