Three Kings Ravaged by Fire

A three-alarm fire may have started in the Loop pub’s kitchen around 3:30 a.m. on April 26

Written by ROSALIND EARLY

Three Kings Pub in the Delmar Loop caught on fire in the small hours of April 26.

The fire was a three-alarm blaze that authorities believe may have started in the kitchen.

“We at Three Kings Public House are heartbroken this morning because of the fire that broke out at our Delmar Loop restaurant location,” the restaurant said

[FOOD NEWS]

Driver Crashes into Springfield Panera

The Mercedes demolished a wall and ran over a booth that was unoccupied

Written by RYAN KRULL

Adriver behind the wheel of a Mercedes G-Class sliced through a Springfield Panera restaurant on April 27, demolishing a wall and running over a booth that was fortunately not occupied at the time of the crash.

“I just saw a G wagon in Panera. It was crazy,” Missouri State University student Garrett Reinwald told KY3.

The crash occurred around 4:30 p.m. near MSU’s campus. No one was seriously hurt, though two diners did receive minor injuries.

An MSU public relations major told the university’s student newspaper, The Standard, that two women dining at a booth adjacent to the wall the Mercedes rammed through had to have a window lifted off of them by other patrons. The student added that about 20 minutes before the incident, someone had been sitting at the booth that was run over.

in a statement. “Thankfully, no one was injured during the fire as this occurred in the early morning hours before we were open.”

According to a press release from University City, the fire department arrived on the scene after being called at 3:30 a.m. The fire had spread to the apartments above Three Kings, which the fire department attacked first. The apartments were occupied but were safely evacuated. After extinguishing the fire in the apartments, the firefighters concentrated their efforts on the kitchen, which was when the second and third alarms were struck for additional manpower to extinguish the blaze. According to the press release “the units had several void spaces between floors and roofs due to construction over the years, which caused the fire to spread in between those void spaces. The roof of the kitchen collapsed within Three Kings Pub.”

Witnesses described the fire as “massive.” By Wednesday afternoon, it was still not entirely extinguished, due to the rubble. A press release said that it would take firefighters hours to put out. Delmar was closed off in both directions from the scene of the blaze.

A popular spot known for both its food and its strong beer selection, Three Kings is a perennial Best of St. Louis winner dating back to being named Best New Bar in 2011. Most recently, readers voted it Best Chain. After first opening in the Loop, Three Kings has grown to multiple locations, including in the airport, Des Peres and South County.

This is not the first time in recent weeks that St. Louis has been rattled by fire. On April 22, St. Louis lost blues legend Tom Hall due to a fire in his home in Soulard. n

“I’m so glad that she got up and left when she did,” Katelyn Farr told The Standard

The driver of the Mercedes was attempting to turn from National Avenue onto Elm Street, but, according to Springfield Police Department Lieutenant Steve Schwind, “didn’t quite make the turn.”

The driver has not been publicly iden- tified or charged, but the Springfield Police Department says he did cooperate with authorities. A police spokesperson tells the RFT that police are still investigating the matter. n