Fire destroyed Dan’s Barbecue Restaurant in Davenport last Friday, a business that had operated around 50 years or more.
Davenport Fire Chief Darin Siler said, “We got the page at 10:01 a.m. One of my firemen saw smoke as he was driving by on his way to a store, but he thought they were smoking ribs. A few minutes later when he came out of that store, he could tell it was a fire.”
Siler said there had been a legislative breakfast at the restaurant that morning and there were still some people in there. “No one got hurt and everyone got out of there safely,” the chief said.
The chief noted, “I suspect it started around 9:45 a.m. We know in what area it started, but we don’t know how it started,” he added.
“You could see where it started in the southwest corner of the building. They called it the rib room. It’s where they smoked the ribs. We couldn’t tell how it started,” Siler reiterated.
His department re sponded to the blaze with an engine and 10 firemen. “Chandler sent an engine and eight firefighters and Stroud came with an engine and 12 firemen,” Siler said.
It took firefighters a while to bring it under control, the chief stated.
He said, “We had some people bring in skidsters and a backhoe and that helped spread it out where we could get more water on it. It took us a little while.”
Siler noted, “We left around 4:30 or 5 that evening.”
“We poured a lot of water on it. I don’t know how much, but it was a bunch,” Siler said.
“Since arson is not suspected at all, there was no need to call in the state fire marshal’s office, Siler explained.
“The insurance adjuster will handle it,” the chief commented.
Siler said owner of the business, Mike Vandever, informed him he will build it back.
The chief said the building was constructed in the ‘60s or ‘70s and that it was originally built as a Dairy Queen, later becoming a barbecue restaurant.