RICHMOND, Va. - Sweet 95, the ice cream shop next to Kitchen 64 on North Boulevard in Richmond, was condemned after an afternoon fire, according to fire investigators on scene. No one was injured in the fire.
There is a burned out hole on the side of the building and an orange sticker placed on the front of Sweet 95 by a city inspector who condemned it temporarily, according to the Richmond Fire Department.
The fire broke out after 1:30 p.m. Monday when the building along North Boulevard went up in flames.
Fire at Sweet 95 (PHOTO: Shelby Taylor)
Shelby Taylor, who had just walked from her nearby home, said she was the only customer in the store and knew something wasn't quite right.
"My favorite ice cream parlor just burst into flames while I was ordering," Taylor tweeted. "The poor little 15-year-old attendant and I just stared at each other in shock."
Taylor spotted flames coming from the side of the building then ran back up to the counter to alert the worker inside. She said the worker only noticed some smoke on the inside of the building and was unaware that flames were showing on the outside.
"The next thing I know, the fire department was coming in and they were pulling down the wall and flames were everywhere. They were on the inside of the building and it was pretty intense," Taylor explained.
Lt. Shawn Jones said though it does not appear to be a suspicious fire, an investigation is still underway to figure out exactly what started it.
In the meantime, all Taylor can think about is how thankful she is that no one was injured in the fire.
She also admits she wonders how long it will be before she can get her hands on her favorite Sweet 95 milkshake again.
One southbound lane of Boulevard was shutdown while firefighters battled the flames. Sweet 95 is located on Boulevard between Interstate 95/64 and Westwood Ave.
The initial call to the Richmond Fire Department came in as a fire at Kitchen 64, however the restaurant was not damaged by the flames.
