Moozy's, popular ice cream shop in Belmont, Massachusetts, gutted by fire: "It's heartbreaking"

Fire and heavy, thick smoke gutted Moozy's, a popular ice cream shop in Belmont, Massachusetts, early Thursday morning.

It appears to have started around 4:30 a.m. while the store on Trapelo Road was still closed. Employee Chris Mahoney told WBZ-TV he was driving by the shop to get some coffee went he noticed smoke pouring out of the building. He called 911.

"I didn't want to open the door. No way. I gave the firefighter the key. He opened it and as soon as he opened it, all the smoke come billowing out," Mahoney said.

According to Belmont Fire Chief David Destefano, the flames started in the basement and became so intense the first floor collapsed. 

"By the time members were able to access the basement, the floor was starting to give way. We had to evacuate the building just before the floor broke through," he told reporters.

No one was hurt. Employees said several soft serve machines that were usually seen through the window are now gone.

"It's hard to see that because we built the place 10-11 years ago. It's been my happy place and a happy place for a lot of people for a long time. It's hard to ingest at this point," owner Dante Mussioli told WBZ. "It's heartbreaking to see it happen. I'm just glad no one was in the building."

Becca Pizzi, who's known locally for running seven marathons on seven continents, is the manager of Moozy's.

"It means everything. We really support our community. We take a lot of pride in helping out. All of the generations that have been coming to our store for so many years," she told WBZ. "So many families come in and celebrate so many happy beginnings. It's really sad."

"My daughter works there too," Mahoney said. "She's already at home crying. This is her job."

Residents said they can't imagine a summer without Moozy's. 

"A lot of high schoolers do work there. I was gonna work there," one teen said. 

"Whenever I have $10, I'll go down and buy a pint. I'm kind of sad it's burning down. Hopefully, it reopens so I can still buy ice cream," Zach Reavey told WBZ-TV. 

Nearby businesses have also been impacted by the smoke, which Chief Destefano said wafted through the buildings. One business impacted is Jacques Tailoring, which is filled to the brim with prom dresses for the Belmont High School prom, which is just weeks away. 

"I hope we have enough time to clean it, refresh it so we can call the customers so they can enjoy their prom, which happens once in their lifetime," 

Firefighters from several nearby towns came in to help. There's no word yet on how the fire started.

Belmont, Massachusetts is about 10 miles west of Boston.