Police still looking into what caused the massive blaze
A fire blazed through a Subway on the Olean/Town of Allegany line on West State Street last Saturday, bringing crowds of onlookers.
The fire was reported shortly before 5 p.m., and it left the building heavily damaged and with a collapsed roof.
There was no word of any injuries and everyone escaped unharmed. It took firefighters 30 minutes to extinguish the fire.
The majority of the damage was located toward the front of the restaurant, while the damage in the back was less extensive. The sign for the restaurant was also destroyed and smoke damage was caused to a home next door at 3019 Route 417. According to the sheriff’s office, the building has been declared a total loss.
When interviewed by the Olean Times Herald, Jeremy Crowley, first assistant chief of the Allegany Volunteer Fire Department, said, “The front of the building was fully engulfed by the time I arrived.”
By 5:20 p.m., the fire was extinguished, according to Crowley.
It is still unknown how the fire started and an investigation is underway by the Cattaraugus County Fire Investigation Team.
When the fire broke out, there were two employees and an unspecified amount of customers inside the restaurant, but all were able to evacuate safely, according to Crowley.
At around 4:51 p.m., police and fire departments received calls reporting the fire starting.
About five minutes later, first responders arrived on scene, according to Michael Brady, an EMT with Allegany Rescue and EMS.
It didn’t take long for videos and images of the blaze to appear on social media. Many showed the building engulfed in flame with thick, black smoke billowing out.
When interviewed by the Times Herald, a subway worker, Dawson Dwaileebe, said he noticed the smoke in the air as he was arriving for his 5 p.m. shift.
“I just kind of figured maybe it was Burger King or something,” he said. “The building wasn’t completely engulfed when I got here. It just progressively burned as I got here.”
JPCM Food Services Inc. based in Olean owns the building. In 2012, they purchased the building for $99,000, according to Cattaraugus County property records.
According to the Times Herald, Allegany firefighters were assisted by the town of Olean, Hinsdale, Westons Mills and Portville volunteer fire departments. On standby was the Limestone Volunteer Fire Department. New York State Police also responded and helped direct traffic. A total of six departments responded.
By Brendan O’Leary, News Assignment Editor
olearybm16@bonaventure.edu
