DETROIT – Traffic Jam & Snug, which has been on the corner of Second Avenue and West Canfield in Detroit’s Midtown since 1965, was destroyed by a fire on Friday morning.
The fire started early Friday morning, engulfing the restaurant’s roof. Several Detroit Fire Department units were on the scene around 2:30 a.m. to battle the flames. Many residents from neighboring streets watched from afar as several hoses blasted water into the roof, and side windows.
Smoke billowed onto the streets and inside the Shinola store next door, which was spared from its own fire thanks to a firewall between the businesses. None of the other businesses were damaged in the fire, including Mario’s, which is on the other side of the restaurant’s microbrewery space.
Jolly Pumpkin, Bon Bon Bon, Third Man Records and RUNdetroit also share space in the building.
Fire crews were still targeting hot spots before leaving the Midtown intersection around 12 p.m. on Friday. The windows of the restaurant were broken down and boarded up, as workers and neighbors helped to clean up debris in the streets.
The ATF was also on the scene to help determine a cause for the fire.
Traffic Jam & Snug became Michigan’s first official brew-pub back in 1992, and is known for its homemade bread, baked goods, ice creams and more.