Laurel Dutch Inn destroyed in fire

LAUREL, Del. – What was once a local landmark is now gutted. For many community members, it’s hard to find the words to describe the loss of the Laurel Dutch Inn. “I was just devastated,” said Karen Thomas, owner of the neighboring Body Shop Company. “I couldn’t believe it,” she said.

The blaze broke out Monday night around ten o’clock. When firefighters arrived on scene, they were met with heavy flames and smoke. Investigators say that there’s an estimated $500,000 in damage. Now they’re sifting through ashes to figure out the cause.

“State fire marshal deputies are on scene along with myself, and we are performing an origin cause investigation. We hope to get you the answers as soon as we can and as efficiently as we can,” said Delaware state fire marshal chief deputy John Galaska.

Tuesday morning, it was easy to see how devastating the fire really was. Investigators say the loss could have been a lot worse if anyone had been trapped inside. “It’s always a lucky situation if nobody’s hurt by a fire. There’s nothing worse than that,” said chief deputy Galaska.

While nobody may have been hurt physically, locals say the emotional scars will run deep. Thomas tells 47ABC watching a neighboring business go up in flames was horrifying. “It was tremendously frightening, just seeing it happen across the street from my own business. I’m not sure what happened or how it happened, so it was very unnerving,” said Thomas.

Thomas tells 47ABC that the Laurel Dutch Inn wasn’t just a place to grab a bite to eat, but the home of memories made by community members. “I can’t count how many breakfasts and lunches that we’ve had. We sat there and looked across the street at our building as we worked on it for two years,” said Thomas.

The state fire marshal says that they’re getting federal help with the investigation. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives is looking into the cause of the blaze.