Fire rips through Wilkinsburg building for second time in one month
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - A Wilkinsburg building damaged by a fire last month, and deemed suspicious by investigators, caught fire again today.
The fire on Wood Street started around five Sunday morning, leaving most of what was left inside burnt and covered in ash.
Not much remains of the 9 Cafe on Wood Street. The eatery was a popular spot for Jamaican food.
When crews arrived at the scene, they were greeted with heavy smoke and flames shooting out of the building that also houses several offices.
This fire comes just over a month after when police were called to this same location after reports of two men breaking into the building and setting a small fire.
Police said at that time, the offices were trashed before gasoline was spread and a fire was set but contained to a stairwell.
No one has been arrested for that incident.
Locals said today's fire is a huge loss for this community, as the restaurant was a popular destination.
"It was a good restaurant, too. I had some of their food. At certain times of the year, they'd have free food for people, like around Thanksgiving. I remember around the holidays, around Christmas, they would invite you in and have a free dinner. It seemed like a pretty good establishment," Jerome Jones, a Wilkinsburg resident, said.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
