Dryden Twp. business sustains fire damage

Three departments respond to structure fire

DRYDEN TWP. — Firefighters from three departments responded to a report of a structure fire late Sunday night.

According to Dryden Twp. Fire Department Public Information Officer Jim Napolitano, first fire units were paged to Pine House Kitchen & Bar at 9:48 p.m. on Dryden Rd. east of the village.

Prior to the fire, the business owners and a few patrons were still in the building when the blaze started, preparing to close the business for the day.

Everyone was able to safely escape before the fire department arrived, when fire alarms began sounding.

Within a short amount of time after being dispatched, Napolitano said mutual aid was called, bringing trucks and personnel from Almont and Attica Twp.

“We have a great mutual aid system in Lapeer County and it worked out well for us,” Napolitano said. “Almont and Attica were a tremendous help, shuttling water to the scene for us. There are no hydrants near the scene, so they had to go back into town and draw from a hydrant.”

The PIO said the building was not totally engulfed as some had said on social media.

“We had fire extension in the back of the building, where the kitchen and food prep area was, but nothing out in the main part of the restaraunt, other than smoke damage. The interior guys did a great job in stopping it from spreading further than it did.”

Napolitano did say when first units arrived, “there were flames through the roof, in the back of the building and we were able to knock them down quickly.”

According to fire officials, the business is insured and the owners were working with fire personnel.

Napolitano said approximately 12,000 gallons of water was used to extinguish flames and the cause of the fire remains under investigation.

No injuries were reported and the last fire units cleared the scene just before 2:30 a.m.