Applebee’s in Cranston deemed total loss after massive fire

CRANSTON, R.I. (WPRI) — An Applebee’s at Garden City in Cranston was determined to be a total loss after a fire ripped through it early Tuesday morning.

Crews responding to the scene around 5:30 a.m. found heavy flames and large plumes of smoke coming from the roof.

“Applebee’s closed around 1 o’clock so it appears to be a grease fire and it got quite a jump on us during the night in the ceiling area,” Fire Chief Robert Ryan said.

Story continues below video.

Residents who live nearby said the fire alarms in their homes were going off due to all of the smoke.

“[The smoke] was choking actually I had my car window open and I had to shut it because it was so strong,” said Linda Cantone who lives nearby.

Some of the flames spread to the restaurant next to Applebee’s but firefighters were able to stop it from spreading any further.

No injuries were reported and crews cleared out around 10:30 a.m.

“Our fire department did a fantastic job in knocking it down and saving the other buildings that were attached to it,” Mayor Ken Hopkins said.

The rest of the shopping center is still open.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to NewsNation.