Fire crews from surrounding areas surround Taco Bell Sunday night, responding to a fire which apparently was caused by a HVAC unit.
Michael B. Hardison | Sampson Independent
Holden Wise with Clinton Fire Department carries out one of the ladders used during the operation.
Michael B. Hardison | Sampson Independent
Firefighters on scene ascend the Taco Bell in Clinton where the fire troubles were happening, cutting the roof out to douse the fire.
Michael B. Hardison | Sampson Independent
This was the scene Sunday night as fire crews scaled the roof of Taco Bell to extinguish a fire that spread from an HVAC unit.
Michael B. Hardison | Sampson Independent
This was the scene Sunday night as fire crews scaled the roof of Taco Bell to extinguish a fire that spread from an HVAC unit.
Michael B. Hardison | Sampson Independent
Flashing fire truck lights filled the parking lot of Taco Bell in Clinton Sunday night as fire crews were on scene to douse a blaze that broke out in the ceiling of the restaurant, located at 1410 Sunset Ave.
At around 7:04 p.m., according to fire reports, a call regarding smoke coming from the roof reached surrounding fire departments promoting their dispatch. Upon arrival, firefighters noticed smoke and had to scale the building. They eventually had to cut the roof out from the inside and atop the structure as the fire extended from an HVAC unit into the ceiling.
“We got a dispatch about smoke in the structure. Squad 21 got here first and saw they had smoke showing,” explained Hagan Thornton, Clinton fire chief. “They got to the roof and saw that we now had a fire in between the drop ceiling and the roof.
“We thought it was just contained to the AC unit, but it wasn’t, so we’re working on opening up the roof,” he added at the scene Sunday night. “We’re gonna put another ladder in there and see if we can get to it, so we’re chasing a fire right now.”
There were no injures from the incident and crews safely got the issue under control.
Monday, Thornton provided an update on the current investigation.
“Basically, we started in the HVAC unit, and the fire was in the duct work and the fire tried to get outside the duct work in a couple of places,” the fire chief said. “That’s why they cut the hole into the ductwork from the inside and through the roof to make sure it was extinguished and the hot spots were out.”
Thornton also noted that the reason for the fire, as of now, was being blamed on a HVAC malfunction, but the cause is currently unknown. He also highlighted that due to the damages, Taco Bell would be closed for the foreseeable future so repairs could be made.
Multiple fire departments were on location to assist with the fire. They included Warsaw, Clinton, Halls, Taylors Bridge, Turkey, and Roseboro and Salemburg.
Reach Michael B. Hardison at 910-249-4231. Follow us on Twitter at @SamsponInd, like us on Facebook, and check out our Instagram at @thesampsonindependent.