Crews extinguish massive fire at combo gas station, Denny's restaurant in Gary
GARY, Ind. - Crews battled a massive blaze Thursday at a gas station and Denny's restaurant in Gary, Indiana.
A thick dust of heavy smoke filled the air and not even three minutes later, witnesses say the building was engulfed in flames.
The fire started around 10:40 a.m. and large flames could be seen burning through the roof of a Love's Travel Stop that houses a Denny's restaurant at 3150 Grant St. near Interstate 80, according to Gary police.
Customers were seen running to safety.
Louis Brown works at the Midas directly across the street.
"It was just crazy because it was smoke everywhere. I tried to make sure everyone at the shop was safe, customers too," Brown said.
After burning for more than five hours, the Love's Travel Stop became a total loss.
"From what I heard it was a grease fire that got bigger and bigger," Brown said.
The cause of the fire was not immediately clear.
With flames so close to gas pumps, officials deemed the mission an "elevated risk."
An excavator was eventually brought in to shift debris hovering over hot spots. With crews hard at work on tower latters, by sun down the property was roped off and the fire finally extinguished.
Checking out the very active scene all day long, spectators arrived in vehicles and on foot just to snap a photo.
There were no injuries reported.