Jennie Runevitch/Eyewitness News
Rushville - Fire destroyed an Indiana restaurant Thursday that has been serving customers for nearly 100 years.
It broke out around 5:00 am at Park Restaurant on Jackson Street in Rushville.
Folks in Rushville say they feel they've lost a loved one.
"We moved to Rushville in 1937 and this was here, yeah," said customer Andrew Ariens. "I guess it's like part of the family."
But firefighters say Park Restaurant, which sits next to Memorial Park, is now a total loss.
Serving the community for nearly a century, it was the kind of place that brought the community together.
"I was a kid, played at this park, went to this restaurant and had lunch," said Rushville Fire Chief Chuck Jenkins.
"People came from all the churches. Everybody was here for breakfast. It was crowded," said Ariens.
For owner Larry Conover, the fire destroyed a dream.
He took over the restaurant 23 years ago from his mother and expanded it five times, from 43 seats to 148.
"This is my retirement. I retired from General Motors and this is my, this is my little baby. You know, I got 30 people working for me. It's pretty touching. Feel sorry for them, you know. I'll do what I can for them," Conover said.
Conover got a call from his cook early Thursday morning that there was a problem in the kitchen.
"She said, 'Larry, we smell gas in here bad.' And I said I'll be right over."
Conover tried to stop the leak, but it had already sparked a fire and the flames proved to be too strong.
"I said, 'Get the heck out of here' and they were already on the phone with the fire department," Conover explained.
"Guys tried to make an interior attack on it from two sides and it was just too large a volume of fire, so I pulled them out for a defensive attack," Chief Jenkins said.
Most of the walls are still standing, but the inside was completely gutted by the fire. Fire crews say the cause was accidental, likely from the gas leak. Luckily no one was hurt, but the impact of this loss goes well beyond a destroyed building.
"The whole entire community comes here. So it's just sad. Plus on the week before Christmas," Chief Jenkins said.
"The governor called me this morning. He says, 'Larry, my favorite place is burned up.' You know, he gave his condolences and everything," Conover said.
Generations of customers are now rallying around the restaurant.
Conover had insurance on the restaurant and says he plans to rebuild.
"Our community's really behind us so, we're one of the favorite places to eat," he said. "It's a neat place, and it'll be neat again."
Conover is now most concerned about the 30 employees now without a job.
They've set up a fund for donations to help his workers:
Main Source Bank
PO Box 249
In Care of: Park Restaurant Employee Rescue Fund
Rushville, IN 46173
