BG INDEPENDENT NEWS
A fire Monday morning damaged the Corner Grill in downtown Bowling Green. No one was injured.
Several hours later almost a dozen employees gathered near the police tape blocking off the entrance to the eatery and the remains of two futons to commiserate about their jobs and the Corner Grill’s place in downtown culture.
The fire started before the sign signaling the start of another week of round-the-clock service had been lit.
Bowling Green Fire Chief Tom Sanderson said the call came in at 7:45 a.m. from an employee reporting fire in the grill. Flames were still evident in the grill area when firefighters had arrived and the fire have moved into an abandoned stairwell connected to the eatery.
That stair well has not been in use for years, and was locked. Two futon mattresses burned. Those, Sanderson said, had likely been in the stairwell for some time.
The Corner Grill suffered extensive damage in the grill area.
Investigation into the fire is continuing, the fire chief said.
During Bowling Green City Council meeting Monday evening, council member Theresa Charters Gavarone, who owns Mr. Spots with her husband, said the restaurant suffered quite a bit of smoke and water damage. The business is expected to be open on Wednesday.
“I ran up Main Street in my socks,” to let the firefighters into the restaurant, she said.
Gavarone joined Mayor Dick Edwards and others in praising the work of the city’s fire and police divisions.
“I can’t say enough about the professionalism and the prompt response,” she said.
City Administrator Lori Tretter said the fire division already had a crew on Interstate 75 responding to an accident there when the downtown fire was reported.
“Our folks are so professional. They are so good. They just make you proud,” Tretter said to council.
Early Monday, Assistant City Administrator Joe Fawcett said city officials were called at 7:50 a.m. and notified of the fire and that North Main Street would be closed going both directions at the corner of Court Street.
Court Street was also closed for one block on either side of Main. Tretter noted the use of Twitter and Facebook to keep people updated on street closures.
Fawcett said that firefighters were concerned that the fire may have spread to Mr. Spots next door, but that appears not to be the case. Wisps of smoke could still be seen coming from the stairwell structure as of 8:30 a.m.
Employees said that already people are talking about a benefit concert to support the Corner Grill, and a nearby business, The Cookie Jar, announced it would give a percentage of sales to the damaged restaurant.
The eatery is patronized by a wide segment of the community, from members of the legal community who come from the county courthouse a block away to late night revelers and bar staff who arrive after closing time.
