A McDonald’s in San Bernardino, California erupted in flames Friday, with thick smoke billowing from the roof of a restaurant located blocks from where the global chain was born.
The fire broke out at the 200 block of 40th Street on the north end of the city, triggering a sprawling response from San Bernardino County Fire as temperatures soared across the Inland Empire. Crews needed roughly an hour to knock down the blaze, which took hold near the location’s indoor PlayPlace and chewed through an exterior wall and the space between ceiling and roof.
San Bernardino County Fire detailed the multi-angle assault in an Instagram post, explaining how teams attacked simultaneously from several positions. “Battling high outdoor temperatures firefighters conducted an exterior fire attack from outside of the building, truck companies attacked the fire from the roof, while other firefighters conducted an interior attack from the inside of the building to suppress the fire,” officials wrote.
Video from the scene showed the restaurant swallowed in smoke, with the heaviest concentrations escaping through the roof. Light smoke was also visible above the indoor playground area, according to fire officials.
No customers or other civilians were injured in the incident. One firefighter was taken to the hospital for treatment of a “heat-related issue,” officials said.
The location carries particular weight for a community that has long promoted its fast-food heritage. Richard and Maurice McDonald opened the original McDonald’s restaurant in San Bernardino in 1940, launching what would become one of the world’s most ubiquitous brands. The chain’s current corporate origins trace to Ray Kroc’s later franchising deal, but the physical city remains the birthplace of the concept.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation. Officials have not released an estimate of damage to the building or said when the restaurant might reopen.
The blaze arrived during a brutal heat wave across Southern California, with inland temperatures climbing well into triple digits. The conditions complicated the firefight and contributed to the heat injury that sent one responder to medical care.
McDonald’s has not issued a public statement about the fire or the status of the location.