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Fire rips through Transit Hill Plaza
By John J. Hopkins Times
 | | SAFE DISTANCE... Witnesses look on as heavy smoke drifts to the east Wednesday morning, obscuring Transit Hill Plaza during the early stages of a fire that destroyed Sparky's Bar & Grille and Transit Hill Salon, resulting in damages expected to exceed $500,000. Several businesses in the plaza remained closed Wednesday afternoon. (Times photo) |
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Dozens of firefighters from seven fire departments battled a massive fire that broke out inside a Transit Hill Plaza tavern Wednesday morning, gutting the bar and a second business and temporarily closing several adjoining businesses.
Two Depew firefighters were injured as they battled the blaze during its early stages.
Depew Fire Chief Pete Michaels said the cause of the 9:29 a.m. incident was accidentally started by a grease fire. He explained that the fire started while the owner of Sparky's Pub & Grille was cooking.
"He tried to carry it out of the building and dropped it. It spread all over the floor and started the fire," Michaels told the Times. "In the few seconds it took him to report it, it was totally out of control. It moved fast."
 | | PLANNING THEIR NEXT MOVE... Depew firefighters discuss their plan of attack during a fire that destroyed two businesses Wednesday morning in Transit Hill Plaza. (Times photo) |
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Upon arrival at the site, Depew smoke conditions. Smoke billowing from the conflagration drifted across Transit Road, forcing Depew and Lancaster police to shut down the highway for several hours.
Firefighters from Hy-View and Forks were immediately summoned to assist at the site and they were soon joined by additional crews from Forks, the Village of Lancaster, and- from the Town of Lancaster- Bowmansville, Millgrove and Twin District.
Michaels estimated between 40- 45 Depew firefighters battled the blaze. He did not have an estimate on the number of firefighters from the assisting companies.
Sparky's is situated at the west end of the L-shaped plaza.
The fire spread next door to Transit Hill Salon, but a fire wall between the salon and Casillo's Pizza & Subs did its job, stopping the fire from spreading.
"It was a tough fire," Michaels added. "We were afraid we were going to lose the entire plaza. (The fire) was moving good, but the fire wall held."
Casillo's incurred heavy smoke damage, and Michaels said there is light smoke damage to rest of the building which includes Curves, Transit Hill Pharmacy and Ralph's Foodland. All of those businesses were evacuated.
Firefighters attempted to battle the blaze from inside the burning structure, but within minutes they were ordered to evacuate the building when the roof began to collapse.
The sirens and horns from all of the fire engines at the site were sounded simultaneously to alert firefighters inside to vacate the building.
Two firefighters were struck by debris, with one sustaining a back injury and the second incurring a shoulder injury. Both also suffered smoke inhalation.
"They had to bail, and in the process of bailing out they suffered the injuries," Michaels said.
The firefighters were transported to Erie County Medical Center, where they were treated and released.
An exterior attack on the fire commenced, with two streams of water being poured on the fire from atop Depew's aerial ladder.
Water pouring from the building and leaking from the engines and hoses combined with snow in the parking lot and froze, creating dangerously slippery conditions.
By 10:15 a.m., Michaels requested the village's Department of Sanitation to bring road salt in five-gallon buckets to the site.
"I've got firefighters falling all over the place here," one Depew fire official reported on the department's radio frequency.
Because of the dangerous conditions immediately surrounding the building, firefighters themselves spread the salt instead of DPW crews.
The blaze was reported under control at 11 a.m., but firefighters remained at the site until 1:10 p.m.
Chief Michaels reported to village Emergency 9-1-1 dispatchers there would be "massive overhaul," or pulling apart debris to extinguish hidden pockets of fire, of the structure.
An inspector from the New York State Department of Agriculture was reported at 12:30 p.m. to be heading to the site to inspect Foodland. However, Erie County health inspectors were not expected to visit the site until sometime today.
Michaels said a final damage estimate will not be available until after the inspections, but he anticipates the estimate "will be in excess of half a million."
A crew from New York State Electric & Gas working in the area assisted firefighters by cutting power to the building.
A canteen truck from the Salvation Army was requested to provide firefighters with water and food.
While the firefighters from Depew and neighboring fire districts battled the blaze, manpower from outlying districts was summoned to stand by at the vacant fire halls.
U-Crest firefighters stood by at Depew's North Side hall while Bellevue and South Line firefighters manned the South Side hall.
Cleveland Hill firefighters were sent to stand by at the Hy-View fire hall and Bellevue firefighters were later requested to stand by at the Forks main fire hall on Broadway.
Additional details- and photos- will be included in next Thursday's edition of the Cheektowaga Times.
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