CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – An early morning fire ripped through a restaurant/convenience store on the city’s East side Wednesday morning.
Fire damages Grandpa’s Abe Kitchen(Julia Thyret | (Source: WOIO))
Cleveland firefighters were called out to Grandpa’s Abe Kitchen in the 1900 block of E. 55th St. around 12:15 a.m.
“I was shocked to see all this happened to Grandpa’s Kitchen,” said neighbor Stanley Reynolds.
Reynolds said he has lived in Cleveland’s Hough Neighborhood for decades.
“I’ve lived over here for about 20 years,” said Reynolds.
When crews arrived, fire was showing from the roof and smoke was showing at the roofline around the building.
Cleveland Fire Lt. Mike Norman said access to the building was challenging due to security doors and windows.
Lt. Norman also said the cause remains under investigation, but there are no signs of arson.
Reynolds said the store is an important business to the community.
“A lot of people like convenience where they don’t have to go out the way to buy something,” said Reynolds. “They know they don’t have the transportation to get to places like Save-A-Lot and Aldi’s.”
Damage is estimated at $125,000, that includes, $75,000 for the structure and $50,000 for the inventory and equipment.
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