E. Court St. business catches fire

WASHINGTON COURT HOUSE — The structure that houses KK’s Grubb Hubb and LevelUp Arcade at the corner of Court and Fayette streets suffered significant fire damage Friday morning.

At around 3:30 a.m., there was report of a possible structure fire at 202 E. Court St. with smoke coming from the building. According to reports, firefighters from the Washington Fire Department forced entry through both Fayette Street main doors and encountered extreme heat and dense black smoke down to the floor with little visible fire.

Firefighters initiated an interior fire attack and set up positive pressure ventilation at the front entrance of the business. They removed the glass transom and found heavy fire above the kitchen ceiling and below the original ceiling of the building. They extinguished all visible fire and began salvage and overhaul operations to expose any additional hidden fires.

Firefighters were on the scene at 202 E. Court St. for approximately seven hours. No injuries were reported.

The fire’s area of origin was the north corner of the kitchen between the pizza oven and the mop station, according to reports. The fire department was unable to determine a cause and referred the incident to investigators from the Ohio Fire Marshal’s Office.

A Facebook post from KK’s reads: “The restaurant caught fire this morning, no details yet on the cause. It is a tragic way to start the morning but NO ONE was hurt and we will rebuild. We love serving the community and would appreciate positive vibes and thoughts while we navigate next steps!”

Smoke damage was also reported at the nearby Fayette County Chamber of Commerce office.

Assisting agencies at the scene were BPM Joint Fire District, Concord-Green Fire Department, Fayette County Life Squad, Center Point Energy, AES, and Box 65.

Court Street from North to Main streets, and Fayette Street from Market to East streets were closed earlier Friday, according to the Washington Police Department.