RILEY, Ind. (AP) -- A fire broke out in a diner soon after it had closed for the day, destroying a gathering place for the small western Indiana town, authorities said.
The fire was spotted Wednesday afternoon, about a half-hour after the Life of Riley Grille had closed. The fire apparently had an undetected head start because of the building's tinted windows, Riley Fire Department spokesman Dave Wright said.
``The fire had to get hot enough to bust out these windows before people outside could know it was on fire,'' he said. ``It must have burned for quite some time.''
Firefighters in the town about five miles southeast of Terre Haute put out the flames within 15 minutes.
Investigators did not immediately determine a cause of the fire, Wright said.
Brad and Kara Anderson have owned the restaurant since 1996, and they continued its longtime tradition as a gathering place for the community.
Over the years, Kara Anderson collected the community memorabilia for the restaurant's walls.
``The sentimental value is what's hard about this,'' she said.
The Andersons said they would like to rebuild, but were waiting to see what insurance will cover.
