NELSONVILLE — Standing in the pouring rain outside the restaurant her parents opened 40 years ago, Tammy Williams could not believe how severe the fire damage was.
“All I know is I want The Coffee Cup back. That’s all I want,” she said, assessing the remains of her family’s restaurant at 11 a.m. yesterday.
The fire ravaged the restaurant, 615 W. Washington St., Nelsonville, at about 1:17 a.m. yesterday. Local firefighters closed U.S. Route 33 to traffic for three hours so firefighters could safely work around the building.
Within only a few hours, Williams said, hundreds of people reached out to offer their support.
“People were texting at three in the morning asking what they could do to help,” Williams said.
Although Nelsonville, York Township and Logan Fire Departments arrived quickly to the scene, firefighters could not enter the building because large flames made it too hot to do so, said Nelsonville Fire Chief Dean Russell.
“Basically, what we do (in this instance) is surround the building and drown water from the outside,” he said.
Initial damage estimates totaled $220,000, according to the Athens County Public Information Officers Network. No one was physically injured.
Investigators from the Ohio Department of Commerce’s Division of State Fire Marshal will conduct interviews to determine what caused the fire, said spokesman Shane Cartmill. The office hopes to verify the cause by next week, he said.
“This is pretty big for the area to lose one of its city icons,” Russell said.
Williams’ brother and Coffee Cup co-owner Charles Smith said he appreciates the way customers have embraced their restaurant over the years.
“We’ll be back,” he said.
The Coffee Cup was a family business in Nelsonville since Williams’ and Smiths’ parents opened it in 1971, Williams said. The family moved the restaurant to its current location in 1992. Their father died in 1999, and their mother now lives with Williams.
Albert Brooks, a local coach for Nelsonville Youth Football, who stopped to see the damaged building, said he visited the restaurant every day.
“If anyone needs anything, food-wise, or just wants to come talk to somebody, you come here,” he said.
Matt Russell, a former employee of the restaurant and son of the Nelsonville fire chief, watched as firefighters tore through the charred walls. The restaurant was a landmark for the area, he said.
“You would give directions (to other locations) saying about how far from The Coffee Cup it was,” he said.
Matt said when he first heard about the fire, he did not consider it serious because small fires happen occasionally in restaurants. When he saw the damage, he was shocked.
“It kinda broke my heart a little bit,” he said.
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