Fire damages burgers, forces temporary closure

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) — Just two months after reopening, Powers Hamburgers will have to temporarily close after a fire early Tuesday morning.

The fire was reported shortly after midnight. Fort Wayne Fire crews arrived within three minutes and had to force their way inside through the front door. They discovered a small fire in the restaurant's kitchen, with smoke throughout the building. Firefighters brought the fire under control in less than three minutes and no one was injured.

The restaurant suffered minor fire and water damage, as well as moderate smoke damage. It will have to close temporarily, but at the moment it is not known for how long.

Powers Hamburgers reopened two months ago after a change of ownership. A grand opening event was planned for the week of July 8-13.

“It’s devastating. Obviously, you know, the community came out in a big way to support us, you know, it's an icon in Fort Wayne and we want to keep it that way, that's why we bought the place,” said Alex Richardson, managing partner of Powers. “So I'm hoping we can go in there and figure out what we're going to do to restore it and get it back into service as quickly as possible and I think all we're asking is for the community to continue to support.” We.”

The investigation is looking into the causes of the fire.