ANN ARBOR – Firefighters with the Ann Arbor Fire Department were called to investigate smoke in a downtown building around 7 a.m. on Friday morning.
Upon arrival, they found a fire in a commercial one-story building on Maynard between Liberty and William. According to AAFD fire chief Mike Kennedy, officials originally believed the blaze originated in smoke vape shop Vape City.
UPDATE: Officials say Maynard Street fire started in restaurant kitchen, not vape shop
Kennedy said a large amount of extremely flammable material in the vape shop intensified the flames.
“That’s what really took the fire off,” he said.
Vape City shares the building with Indian restaurant Madras Masala, which has reportedly also sustained damage.
According to Kennedy, the building is roughly 60-70 years old. He said the fire was particularly stubborn and difficult to access due to “a lot of collapse.”
He said no crews were going inside due to the structural collapse. No one was injured in the incident.