Wilson Avenue Dairy Queen damaged by fire Wednesday

CEDAR RAPIDS — The WIlson Avenue Dairy Queen sustained heavy damage in a fire Wednesday afternoon.

According to a media release from the Cedar Rapids Fire Department, firefighters responded to the fire at the corner of Wilson Avenue and Bowling Street SW at 12:37 p.m. on Wednesday.

Upon arrival, firefighters entered through the rear door, reaching the upper loft of the building. However, they had to abandon the plan to extinguish the fire from inside as high heat and smoke prevented safe operation, according to the release. Fire then broke through the roof and began burning away support systems for the air handling unit. Firefighters reported seeing flames as high as 20 feet in the air.

According to the fire department, after firefighters were forced out of the building, a ladder unit and several ground lines were used to simultaneously hit the fire at multiple points. After roughly 57 minutes of active firefighting, the all-clear was given at 1:34 p.m.

The building sustained extreme damage but no injuries to citizens, employees or firefighters were reported. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

The Salvation Army and Area Ambulance along with Cedar Rapids Police all provided care and security to the scene.