Arson investigators probe blaze at shuttered, longtime Marie Callender’s restaurant
SANTA ANA — Fire investigators are looking into what caused a blaze early Saturday in a vacant building that housed a Marie Callender’s restaurant for decades.
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Firefighters were sent to the 2000 block of North Grand Avenue just before 1:30 a.m. and extinguished the fire within 40 minutes, the Orange County Fire Authority said.
No injuries were reported.
Fire was extinguished within 40 minutes of arrival. No injuries to any civilians or firefighters. The cause of the fire is under investigation. https://t.co/nI1uk8delb pic.twitter.com/kqqQ92VEPk
— OCFA PIO (@OCFA_PIO) June 22, 2019
In 2011, the parent company of Marie Callender’s, whose pie-making business has spanned more than 60 years in Orange County, abruptly closed 58 restaurants amid a bankruptcy filing blamed on a brutal economy. The closures were so sudden, some diners were forced to leave while they were still eating.
At the time, no Orange County restaurants were impacted, but the longtime Marie Callender’s on Grand Avenue in Santa Ana and others have since been closed.
A couple of people were detained for questions near the building Saturday morning, but no arrests were made, said Santa Ana Police Sgt. Andy Alvarez.