ELDON, Mo. — A long-time favorite local restaurant in the Lake of the Ozarks area was completely destroyed by fire in the early hours of Monday.
City of Eldon Firefighters were toned out at 12:15 a.m. on Monday, Aug. 28, after a call from an Eldon Police Officer reporting heavy smoke coming out of the Eldon Philly Diner, located at 401 4th Street, in downtown Eldon, Mo. The City of Eldon Fire Department responded with four apparatus and eight personnel.
Arriving firefighters found smoke billowing out of the diner, as reported. The Randles Court Motel, which is connected to the diner, was also threatened by the fire, and there were four people staying at the motel. It was evacuated, along with a nearby apartment complex.
City of Eldon Fire Department Fire Chief Randy Vernon was in charge of operations. Nine fire departments responded with mutual aid.
“There were [fire trucks] everywhere,” eyewitness Renee Heck said. “Firefighters were running. The first thing I saw when I got there at 12:25 a.m. was smoke billowing out of the roof. A few minutes later, flames started shooting out of the back of the diner.” Several homes and apartments were also threatened by the fire. Firefighters set up a perimeter to protect the nearby structures, wetting them down with water.
“It was crazy,” Heck recalled. “The firefighters would switch out. One crew would rest across the street, and then a tone would go off, and they would suit up and go back to fighting the fire, and then another group would come over and rest. They worked so hard.”
It took three hours to contain the fire. The diner sustained heavy fire damage and was a total loss. The motel sustained smoke and water damage.
The Missouri State Fire Marshall was called into assist with determining the cause of fire. The four people in the motel were able to escape with no injuries and there were no firefighter injuries.
Firefighters cleared the scene at 8:05 a.m.
“It is a sad loss for the city of Eldon,” Heck said. She enjoyed going to the diner to visit with friends over coffee. “There are not many places to go that serve breakfast all day, and a breakfast buffet.”
A total of 54 firefighters responded to this incident. Responding fire departments included; Moreau, Lake Ozark, Rocky Mount, Osage Beach, Mid County, Versailles Rural, Versailles City, Cole County and Tuscumbia. Eldon Police assisted with evacuations and traffic control. Miller County Ambulance stood by.
