ADA, Ohio (WLIO) — Fire crews remain on the scene in downtown Ada Monday night after a restaurant and second-floor apartments were engulfed in heavy flames Monday afternoon.
According to Ada-Liberty Fire Chief Jay Epley, 911 calls came in around 1:30 p.m. Monday reporting a fire inside the building that houses Viva Maria restaurant on the first floor and apartments above. After Ada-Liberty’s initial response, second and third alarms were quickly declared.
Fire departments from Allen, Hancock, and Hardin Counties assisted, providing additional manpower and aerial support. Chief Epley said no one was inside Viva Maria when the fire broke out, and all apartment occupants escaped without injury. Fire crews are expected to remain on scene throughout the night. Chief Epley told Your News Now what the next steps are in the firefighting process.
"We're excavating the back part now to try to get to the wood structure. We're trying to move things around so we can do an overhaul, find hot spots and extinguish any fires we might have. We've called a contractor in, and we'll probably take the brick structure down later on today, tomorrow," says Chief Jay Epley, Ada-Liberty Fire Department.
Electricity and gas were cut off in the area. While the exact number is unknown, several residents and families have been displaced, and the Red Cross has been called to assist. The cause of the fire remains under investigation. Chief Epley added that the state fire marshal has been contacted to help determine the cause.
