Three-Alarm Fire Destroys Sumner, Washington Landmark Restaurant

March 2, 2005
A three-alarm fire early Tuesday destroyed a landmark restaurant in this town east of Tacoma.
SUMNER, Wash. (AP) -- A three-alarm fire early Tuesday destroyed a landmark restaurant in this town east of Tacoma.

The fire started about 4 a.m. at K.C.'s Caboose and it took firefighters several hours to bring it under control. When firefighters arrived, heavy smoke quickly turned to flames, East Pierce Fire & Rescue Chief Dan Packer said. About 50 firefighters from departments in King and Pierce County responded to the blaze.

No injuries were reported.

Damage was estimated at $500,000; no cause was immediately available.

For a time, firefighting equipment blocked nearby railroad tracks, delaying a Sounder commuter train.

The restaurant was located on Sumner's main street and featured model trains.

''Hopefully we'll be able to rebuild,'' owner Dave Della Santina told KOMO-TV, adding the fire was ''heart wrenching to watch.''

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