Original source (on modern site)
FENTON, MI - A pair of businesses sustained heavy damage Tuesday afternoon from a fire near downtown Fenton. Fenton firefighters were dispatched to the area of South Adelaide and Mill streets around 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, June 28, following reports of a dumpster on fire, according to Fenton Fire Chief Robert Carinduff. When crews arrived, they found both the dumpster and a vehicle on fire. The flames spread to a tree, which allowed a barn used for storage for another nearby business to catch fire. A fuel tank on the vehicle ruptured during the fire, allowing flames to spread across a parking lot and to the businesses. El Topo restaurant as well as The Relief & Resource Co., a speakeasy located in the back of the restaurant, were severely damaged by the fire, the chief said. "As some of you may know, this afternoon the building for El Topo and The Relief & Resource Co. suffered a fire. The firefighters did an outstanding job taming the blaze as soon as they could," reads a statement on the El Topo Facebook page. "Thankfully all of our team members were safely evacuated. We will be closed until further notice while we assess the damage. THANK YOU to all of the firefighters who worked so swiftly to take care of this unfortunate situation." No injuries were reported from the fire, but Cairnduff said some of the responding firefighters were checked for heat exhaustion. City officials on Facebook asked motorists to avoid the area because traffic was becoming an issue for emergency vehicles. This is a developing story. Read more at The Flint Journal: 5 firefighters hospitalized after battling fire in downtown Holly, investigation underway Lapeer County fire that left 4 dead was intentionally set, police say Owosso man faces arson charge in connection with house fire Note to readers: if you purchase something through one of our affiliate links we may earn a commission.