Clay County McDonald’s restaurant destroyed in fire

Multiple fire departments were unable to save a McDonald’s restaurant in Manchester from a fire.

Crews from Manchester and Lockard’s Creek Fire were called to the McDonald’s on Muddy Gap Road around 5:25 a.m. Sunday morning.

When crews arrived, they say they saw heavy smoke coming from inside the restaurant, with flames coming from a grease fire.

Firefighters attempted to put out the grease fire, but were unable to contain the flames. They say the restaurant’s extinguishment system also failed to operate.

Crews were finally able to extinguish the grease fire using foam, but were unaware the fire had also spread into the double-layered ceiling above them.

As firefighters tried to address that fire, the ceiling began falling in, prompting units to evacuate the building. Crews again tried battling the fire, only to have the main water line to the hydrant break.

Ultimately, the building is a total loss. Firefighters say the owner told them they expect to build a new building that should be up in 3 to 8 months.

In a statement sent to WKYT, Gist Heinrich, owner-operator of the McDonald's talked about the future of the location.

"We would like to thank our employees for their quick action to ensure the safety of each other, and the firefighters who worked hard to control the situation. The location will be closed for the next several weeks. Our employees will be relocated to our other restaurants. We encourage our patrons to visit our other locations nearby," said Heinrich.

In all, Horse Creek Fire Department, Hacker Fire Department, Fogger town Fire Department, Laurel County Fire Department, City Of London Fire Department, Bush Fire Department, Manchester Police Department, Clay County Sheriff’s Office, Kentucky Utilities, Kentucky State Fire Marshall’s Office, and Manchester City Water crews were involved in trying to save the restaurant..