Tri-Cities restaurant ordered closed until fire-damaged building next door is safe
Concerns that a fire-damaged Kennewick building could collapse has prompted city officials to bar a popular Tri-Cities restaurant and other small businesses from reopening.
The city of Kennewick has posted a notice to vacate for several businesses near the site of the fire at the historic Cascade building.
The owners of Foodies Brick & Mortar restaurant, and other nearby businesses, don’t know when or if they’ll be able to return to their restaurant and storefronts in the building next to the fire damaged Cascade building.
Kennewick Building Official Tony Ostoja told the Herald that this does not necessarily mean the buildings are going to have to come down, but that it is unsafe for the tenants in the adjoining buildings until the damage from the Feb. 4 fire is assessed.
“What we’re concerned about is the structural integrity of the wall on the building that burned,” Ostoja said. “I can’t let anyone in that building until we know the stability of that upper wall.”
Ostoja said the main concern right now is that the upper wall of the Cascade Building, at 304 W. Kennewick Ave., could collapse into the adjoining building that houses Foodie’s Brick and Mortar restaurant.
The Cascade Building was engulfed in flames early in the morning on Feb. 4 after a fire started in an apartment on the second floor. The building was home to six apartments, with 10 residents, and several small businesses.
The building itself is more about a century old.
The owners of Foodies thanked their customers for the outpouring of support in a message posted to Facebook on Thursday.
“Well Foodies, it’s official. We have been ordered to vacate. We have not been inside since the fire, and won’t be able to either. Any equipment we could have salvaged, will not be,” they wrote. “The building is not safe to be near - let alone enter. This is a sad day for Foodies Kennewick. Our Brick and Mortar where it all started. Thanks for sticking by us friends.”
The owners were not immediately available Thursday to talk about the notice.
The notice to vacate included 300, 302, 304, 306 and 308 W. Kennewick Ave. as well as 3 N. Cascade St. Other businesses impacted include The Social Club hair salon, a massage therapy business and Desert Gem and Appraisal.
Kennewick Fire Department Deputy Chief Michael Heffner said the building’s owner, Gary Earp, is working with his insurance company to determine if the exterior of the building is compromised, which will need to be done before the department can determine the cause of the fire.
Earp told the Herald on Tuesday that they believe the blaze originated from one of the apartments, but because of the extensive damage from both the fire and the water used to put it out, their priority is learning if the building can be saved. He said the upper floor that housed the apartments is completely gone, as well as the roof.
“Right now we’re trying to get all the ducks in a row. We’re hoping that, because it’s a historic building, we can rebuild,” Earp said. “The biggest concern on the main floor and the basement is the water damage, and the second floor is of course totally wiped out and the roof is gone.”
Earp said he is holding out hope that the fire didn’t compromise the integrity of the exterior bricks. Inspectors will be working this week to examine the bricks and structural integrity of the building. He hopes to have an answer within a week.
He said the building is part of Kennewick’s history and hopes it can be saved.
“I’m pretty passionate about the downtown historical value of the whole area and the building, and always have been,” he said.
Ostoja said that once they have an engineering report from the owner, there are three likely scenarios. The first being that the wall is safe and tenants can return to the adjoining buildings. The second is that the wall would need to be shored up before tenants can return, and the third being that the structural integrity of the wall was compromised by the fire and would need to come down.
“As soon as that report’s in my hand, we can take that next step and make a determination on what’s next in the process,” Ostoja said. “My hope is we pull the vacate notice on those businesses and everyone can go back into work.”
Ostoja said that gas and water have been turned off by the building’s owners in the meantime.
This story was originally published February 10, 2022 at 12:55 PM.
