Colorado Springs, CO, Firefighters Find Man in Vacant Building after Fire

The man found in the shuttered restaurant was critically injured, Colorado Springs fire officials said.
Sept. 5, 2025

Nick Smith

The Gazette (Colorado Springs, Colo.)

(TNS)

A man is in critical condition after a fire broke out in a shuttered building that most recently housed the defunct restaurant Bayou Seafood & BBQ, authorities said.

The structure fire happened shortly after 9:30 p.m. Tuesday at 302 N. Academy Blvd., according to the Colorado Springs Fire Department. The fire was put out shortly after fire crews arrived.

During a search of the building, firefighters found the man inside . He was taken to a local hospital. No other people were involved in the incident, said Ashley Franco, a spokesperson for the Fire Department.

The fire's cause is still under investigation.

The location was formerly a Denny's restaurant, one that was closed in 2017 when state regulators seized four Denny's in Colorado Springs, according to the state Department of Revenue in past Gazette coverage.

Pueblo food hall an 'incubator system' for aspiring restaurateurs

When Jennifer and Bryan Fahrer decided to try expanding their Wings on Wheels food truck business to a stationary food stand in the Fuel and Iron food hall in Pueblo, they never intended to one day run the place.

© 2025 The Gazette (Colorado Springs, Colo.). Visit www.gazette.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

 

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