Philadelphia Jamaican restaurant seriously damaged after car crash sets building on fire
Owners of a Jamaican restaurant in Southwest Philadelphia are picking up the pieces after a car plowed into their business and set fire to the building early Monday morning.
Wade Murray, who owns Caribbean Cuisine with his wife Kadie-Ann, stood outside the charred remains of their business Monday, trying to process the loss.
"I never dreamed of anything like this," he said. "It's like a bomb went through here."
According to fire officials, crews responded to the 6000 block of Baltimore Avenue around 2:30 a.m. for a car crash and fire. The building, which housed the Caribbean Cuisine restaurant, was heavily damaged and fully on fire by the time firefighters arrived.
Several crews worked for about half an hour to put the blaze under control. The Philadelphia Department of Licenses and Inspections was called out to asses the structural integrity of the building, which was deemed unsafe by around 5:30 a.m. The driver involved in the crash wasn't seriously injured in the collision and remained at the scene following the accident.
The Murrays immigrated from Jamaica in the 1990s and poured 25 years into building the business, which had become a fixture in the community.
The couple says the restaurant was more than a place to eat. It was a gathering space for neighbors and loyal customers from across the region.
"Our customers are our friends," Wade Murray said.
"We try to keep the food flavorful and authentic. People come from Delaware and New Jersey just to support us," Kadie-Ann Murray said.
One of those loyal customers, Dwight Roper, said going to Caribbean Cuisine reminds him of home.
"Because I'm Jamaican too, and they're Jamaican. I like that food," Roper said.
The Murrays had been planning a 25th anniversary celebration this summer, complete with live music and Jamaican dishes, but those plans are now on hold.
Still, they're hopeful.
"We're going to try to rebuild and keep moving on," Wade Murray said.
The Murrays are leaning on their faith and the same community that's supported them for decades.
"Continue supporting us, continue doing what you've been doing, and keep loving on us as we love on you guys, too," Kadie-Ann Muray said. "It's always one love for me whenever I do anything. I always try to say 'one love.'"
The cause of the crash is under investigation.
