Published: February 22, 2008 02:31 am      

Ranch House to reopen after fire

PALESTINE — A mechanical problem with a heating and cooling unit in the attic most likely sparked a fire that damaged a popular Palestine restaurant early Monday morning.

Palestine fire marshal Alan Wilcher said Thursday morning that the source of the fire appeared to be in an old heating and cooling unit in the attic of The Ranch House Restaurant at 305 E. Crawford St.

“The unit had seized up,” Wilcher said, judging from physical evidence at the scene and adding that another unit located nearby in the attic showed signs of a rodent attempting to nest inside and chew wiring.

The initial call came from the restaurant’s alarm company, Wilcher said. A police officer dispatched to check out the cause of the alarm reported flames and smoke, he said, and firefighters from all three stations were paged to the scene at 1:20 a.m.

Because the restaurant was built with cedar, firefighters feared the fire would quickly spread from the attic to the rest of the building, he said, but their quick response and measures prevented that.

Firefighters on duty at Station 1, a block away, were able to look out the station’s windows upon hearing the page-out and see the flames on the roof, according to Mike Pell, the battalion chief on duty at the time.

Firefighters positioned Engine 1 on Crawford Street in front of the restaurant and used the truck’s water cannon to shoot a heavy stream of water into the attic through a square opening in the facade, while others used hoses from different locations. Tower 1 also was set up in a parking lot to the rear and above the restaurant as a precautionary measure had the fire continued to expand.

“The firefighters did an outstanding job putting the fire out,” Wilcher said. “It went (out) so fast they were amazed.

The restaurant’s insurance company also inspected the site on Wednesday and came to the same conclusion about the fire’s origin, Wilcher said.

Restaurant owner Lannie Dugan had purchased the building in May 2007. Dugan plans to reopen the restaurant in the future.

The building had been a tractor dealership, then sat empty for several years before being converted in September 1996 to a steak house.

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Beth Foley may be contacted via e-mail at bfoley@palestineherald.com