HASTINGS, MI - A popular restaurant in Rutland Charter Township was completely destroyed in a large fire that required firefighters from more than a half-dozen departments to battle for hours to extinguish.
Firefighters were called to Yankee Bill's Wood-Fired Saloon near Hastings just before 12 noon on Monday, Dec. 23, and worked for several hours to knock down the fire. Restaurant employees called for help and then evacuated before emergency responders arrived.
It is suspected the blaze began in the corner of the building with the wood-burning stove, though the local fire chief said that hasn't been concluded.
"The fire had been burning up there before it was noticed. So, it was already going before we were called. It was already going pretty good," said Hastings Fire Chief Mark Jordan.
An abundant amount of steel in the building caused challenges for the firefighters and he said an excavator was needed to pull the hot metal from the structure.
Seven departments responded to the large business fire, bringing 10 tanker trucks to the scene and dowsing the structure with 100,000 gallons of water, Jordan told MLive.
The destructive fire comes at the height of the holiday dining season and will have an impact on the local community, the fire chief said.
"It's very popular, very busy. I know they had lots of plans for tomorrow, for Christmas Eve specials and such," Jordan said.
Firefighters continued to clean up the fire scene as late as 7 p.m. Monday.