ST. JOSEPH, Ill. (WCIA) — Several restaurant owners in St. Joseph are cleaning up after two fires caused significant damages to their businesses.
The first one happened at Roch’s Place on Saint Joseph’s Main Street in the middle of the afternoon. The second fire was just steps away at El Toro.
Both owners expressed their commitment to moving forward. Roche Cain, one of the owners at Roch’s Place, remarked that while everything inside the building can be repaired, human life is irreplaceable. He and the other owners are thankful that everyone is safe.
“It was overwhelming at first,” Cain said.
It was a little after 3 p.m. when the fire ignited at Roch’s Place on Sunday.
Cain recalled what happened when he got the call.
“I rushed there and, since we live just a couple of miles away, I could see the smoke from our home,” Cain explained. “We had a one-man-band playing, and smoke began pouring out from the back room, so naturally the musician stopped, and everyone evacuated as quickly as possible.”
St. Joseph-Stanton Fire Protection District responded quickly after. Chief Josh Reese said 12 other crews came to help as well.
“The heat index was approximately 105 degrees yesterday, which is extremely warm… when we put on bunker gear and air packs, it gets even hotter, and then you have to go into the fire,” Reese shared.
All while they were working to put out the fire at Roch’s Place, they had another call come in from just across the street.
“At the same time, we had a small kitchen fire at El Toro, caddy-cornered from [Roch’s],” Reese shared.
El Toro’s owner said that the fire was completely separate and isolated.
Meanwhile, the village’s mayor was proud of how the community rallied to help.
“Residents went to the IGA and other stores to purchase cases of cold water and Gatorade, bringing them to the firefighters while they took breaks and rotated,” St. Joseph Mayor, Jim Page, commented.
It’s support like that first responders are thankful for and restaurant owners will appreciate.
“We started this venture rather spontaneously, and now, thirteen years later, it’s become a fantastic spot. We have excellent food, customers, and staff,” Cain stated.
One individual from Roch’s Place is currently recovering from smoke inhalation but is reported to be doing well. The owners of El Toro confirmed that no injuries occurred in their establishment.
The causes of both fires are still under investigation. Crews are making repairs, so they can hopefully re-open their doors as soon as possible.
The restaurant owners said that the best way to help is to support them at their other locations, Little Roch’s in Royal and El Toro in Urbana.
