Firehouse Subs, Wasabi Buffet destroyed in Five Points fire

[thelakelander]

A fire has destroyed two Five Points restaurants, including a Firehouse Subs location, Monday morning. A gas station attendant said someone came in to report a fire at the plaza about 3:40 a.m.

full article: http://jacksonville.com/news/crime/2012-06-18/story/jacksonville-restaurants-firehouse-subs-wasabi-buffet-destroyed-five

[ben says]

A fire has destroyed two Five Points restaurants, including a Firehouse Subs location, Monday morning. A gas station attendant said someone came in to report a fire at the plaza about 3:40 a.m.

full article: http://jacksonville.com/news/crime/2012-06-18/story/jacksonville-restaurants-firehouse-subs-wasabi-buffet-destroyed-five

Call me crass, but thank god it was Firehouse/Wasabi and not LGS/Sake House. Food aside, I'd be much sadder if those buildings went up in flames than the buildings housing Firehouse/Wasabi. Not to mention Wasabi is disgusting and the day after a fire is probably the cleanest this establishment has ever been.

[Tacachale]

That sucks. At least no one was hurt.

[RiversideLoki]

I've heard from several friends that work in the area that they witnessed two dudes running to get into a black car. With the recent closing due to health violations, the whole thing is fishy. Not a huge loss to the community, however. That place was rank.

[ben says]

[T]he whole thing is fishy. Not a huge loss to the community, however. That place was rank.

Exactly what I was getting at. Conversely, I'd be pretty upset it the buildings housing Sake House and LGS went up.

[5ptscurmudgeon]

"the day after a fire is probably the cleanest this establishment has ever been."

I spit my coffee clear across the room. Thanks for the laugh Ben!

I loved getting there at 11:30a and everything was just luke warm. Came out of the cooler at 8am and was just reaching room temp.

What was the name of the Chinese rest. that was in the corner for years with Sub-spot out front?

[5ptscurmudgeon]

Serious kudos to JFRD. Some very lucky homeowners on the backside!

[fsujax]

That was an intense fire, the whole end of the building collapsed.

http://jacksonville.com/slideshows/slides-news/jacksonville-fire-destroys-wasabi-buffet-damages-firehouse-subs#slide=0

[Dapperdan]

Looks like that whole section is a total loss. I wonder of the rest of the complex has suffered any metal fatigue or anything like that.

[aubureck]

I guess this will cause a significant change to their pending PUD and COA applications.

[TheCat]

[Dog Walker]

As of an hour ago, JFRD was still pouring water into the shell of the building.  The fire was intense enough to cause the steel beams of the roof to soften and sag.

The news stories said that the fire wall between Firehouse Subs and Hot Wok kept the fire from spreading to the rest of the stores in the strip.

[RockStar]

I feel bad for the people who woke up today without jobs, but you couldn't have paid me to eat there.

[Timkin]

"the day after a fire is probably the cleanest this establishment has ever been."

I spit my coffee clear across the room. Thanks for the laugh Ben!

I did too. LOL.  I am sorry that people are without jobs because of this, but that line was hilarious .

[Adam W]

I used to live on Forbes Street, a couple of houses down from Wasabi. We would walk down the sidewalk to 5 points and have to step over all the trash they'd pile outside the door to the kitchen. It would reek of rotting seafood. You could see into the kitchen and it was disgusting. I could never eat there after that.

The guy who owned it ended up buying the building I lived in to (supposedly) house his employees. They used to all show up and leave work together in a white van. I always suspected at least some of them were illegal.

I'm not sorry to see the place go. It sucks that people lost their jobs as a result, but maybe this will lead to some sort of redevelopment. At the very least, it would be nice to see the strip mall get an image overhaul.