Several businesses were damaged and two were forced to be taken down after a fire destroyed a vacant building overnight.
Rock Island Fire Marshal Greg Marty said the fire happened in the 200 block of 18th Street at a building that once held the Mississippi Café. The fire was reported around 4:10 a.m. Saturday, September 27, 2014 by someone who lives in the area.
When crews arrived, Marty said there was fire coming from all of the windows. The fire took several hours to contain and a collapse in the building caused damage to surrounding structures.
There were eight buildings affected by the fire and there was significant damage to the Jaded Gypsy Tattoo parlor, Marty said. Huckleberry's Pizza sustained some damage, but mostly the apartments above the restaurant were affected.
“Several other buildings sustained varying degrees of damage due to the collapse, but all the other buildings will be able to be repaired,” Marty said.
Demolition of the former Mississippi Café, which is owned by the city, had been previously planned for Monday, September 29. Marty said because of the collapse, both that building and the Jaded Gypsy Tattoo Parlor were under demolition Saturday.
Marty said 18th Street from 2nd Avenue to 3rd Avenue was closed as crews worked to safely clean up the area. Several surrounding businesses were forced to close Saturday because of the fire.
There were no reported injuries.
