The Thurman Cafe has been hit by a fire on April 12.
Bryan Bishop, a Columbus Fire Department battalion chief said a call for the fire came in at 2:18 p.m. on Sunday as workers smelled smoke. Bishop said six to eight workers were able to evacuate the building.
More than 30 firefighters arrived on scene to find smoke coming out from the back of the building along with extensive fire damage.
Amber Falter, a waitress and bartender at Thurman’s for five years, said she was taking orders when she noticed a strange odor.
“It was a chemical smell. Patrons were also looking around, wondering where it was coming from,” she said. “Then I saw the smoke.”
Falter said the smoke appeared to come from a dry stock area in the rear of the building.
“Once we saw it billowing out of the vents, our boss took action very quickly and the fire department arrived quickly,” she said.
The German Village restaurant at 183 Thurman Ave. is best known for the Thurmanator, the finish-it-if-you-can burger with two 12-ounce patties and 12 different toppings.
Bishop said the cause of the fire is unknown and the case is under investigation.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Thurman Cafe suffers extensive fire damage in German Village
Reporting by Belinda M. Paschal, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
