Photo by George Mahe
Photo by George Mahe
Just after 3 a.m. Wednesday, a fire was reported at Three Kings Public House, the popular bar and grill at 6307 Delmar in the Delmar Loop. The fire quickly grew to three alarms. More than 20 engines responded, according to FOX2’s Chris Regnier, who was on the scene. Engines and fire crews from the city and multiple county municipalities lined Delmar Boulevard and side streets. An insurance adjuster on the scene said he’d “covered a lot of fires but had never seen so many trucks.”
University City Fire Department battalion chief Jon Bollinger told FOX2 that it's believed the fire started in the hood vent area of the kitchen, which is located off a rear alley lined with phone poles and electric wires, making aerial access difficult.
Photo by George Mahe
The other challenge for firefighters, Bollinger said, was that the fire was in an older building with abundant materials that could burn, which firefighters refer to as the fire load. Bollinger added that in the case of an older commercial building, mixed with residential, “we struck a third alarm just to reach the manpower requirements needed to attack something like this.”
After 8 a.m., due to intense smoke, multiple crews were seen entering and exiting the rear of the building. By 9 a.m., the building was still smoldering and fire crews were still at work. There are several apartments above the pub, according to reports, though no injuries have been reported. Firefighters appear to have kept the fire contained to the immediate area, but it's still unknown if any other businesses were impacted.
A statement from Three Kings read, in part, "Three Kings Public House will be back. We will be even better, and we will always be an active part of this amazing community in University City.
Photo by George Mahe
