MILLERSBURG DAIRY QUEEN FIRE DESTROYS BUILDING

By JEFF DURBIN, Missourian staff writer

May 5, 1999

Dinner arrivals at the Millersburg Stuckey's Dairy Queen were treated to only a few last flames licking at the structure.

The combination restaurant and gas station, at the Millersburg Route J exit of Interstate 70, burned to the ground Tuesday. No one was seriously injured.

The cause of the fire was not immediately known, but the state fire marshal arrived Tuesday night to begin the investigation.

The fire started about 3:30 p.m., with flames coming from the center of the building. Nearby gasoline tanks were successfully turned off, said Lt. Jackie Karhoff, public information officer for the North Callaway County Fire Protection District.

"The flames were far enough away from the gas, so it was secure," Karhoff said. "But we were concerned about the tanks exploding."

North Callaway and Millersburg Fire Department trucks were on the scene within minutes, and were later joined by Columbia and Boone County firefighters.

Two people, including one firefighter and the person who turned off the gas tanks, were treated for smoke inhalation on the scene.