Lauren Drewes Daniels
Audio By Carbonatix
The Arlington Fire Department was still on the scene Tuesday morning as a pile of rubble was all that remained of one Arlington restaurant and bookstore.
The blaze began Monday afternoon at 2410 W. Abram St. at the intersection of Bowen Road.
The Arlington Fire Department said crews were dispatched at 5:37 p.m. Monday. In all, more than 80 firefighters were called to respond to the scene, including 13 engines and four ladder trucks. Footage from DFWScanner shows towers of smoke coming from the building. The roof of the building, which included six units, collapsed.
Arlington Fire Department Lt. Juan Mata said that contents in the building were likely a total loss. There were no civilian or firefighter injuries reported.
Beirut Grill has been an Arlington restaurant for more than a decade, originally on Cooper Street near the University of Texas at Arlington campus, before moving to this spot a few miles west.
SmashToast was relatively new, a cafe that also housed a small bookstore, Folklore Grove Bookstore. The concept was a collaboration between longtime friends and Martin High School graduates, Bobby King and Kait Thibeaux.
The nearby Tex-Mex restaurant El Gabacho does not appear to have been damaged.
