A beloved diner on the Danforth sat ruined on Tuesday afternoon, after a four-alarm blaze ripped through Detroit Eatery.

Toronto Fire said the blaze began in the morning before 7 a.m. in the basement of a building on Danforth and Chester Aves. Hours after it started, smoke was still billowing out of the restaurant, an institution on the Danforth.

By 11 a.m., the fire was considered under control, Toronto Fire Division Commander Gregory Weeks said. By early afternoon most of the firefighters were clearing the area, the blaze — which injured no one, police said — finally defeated,

The diner, which has been around for about 70 years, is known for its Detroit Red Wings-memorabilia decor. After the team won the Stanley Cup in 1997, Wings forward Kris Draper surprised everyone when he dropped by, with the Cup in tow. (Draper got wind of the diner from his cousin who lived in the area.)

“It was amazing. I hope he comes by again,” Chris Antaras told the Star in 2008, when the Wings were again in the Stanley Cup final.

Antaras’s family still runs the diner, and many customers know him by name. Locals had already started sharing their sadness about the decades-old diner.

Elias Kapetanios, who has lived in the area for 16 years, told the Star that when his kids grew old enough to go out for lunch on school days, Detroit Eatery was where he let them go.

“You knew Chris and Alex would look out for them,” Kapetanios said.

It was common for those in the neighbourhood to look in on the diner while walking by even if they didn’t stop for food, just to “say hi with a wave and check out what was on the big screen.”

“Places like the Detroit Eatery are rare, wonderful places,” Kapetanios said. “A touchstone where goodness is measured.”

A GoFundMe page sprouted up, calling for residents of the area to “help restore Detroit Eatery” but its connection to the owners of the restaurant could not be confirmed at press time. It raised more than $6,000 by Tuesday evening and described the restaurant as “a staple of the neighbourhood that locals know and love,” adding that “owner Chris and his father Alex are beloved members of the Danforth and Riverdale community.”

The fire’s location left it “protected,” Weeks said, was making it hard for firefighters to reach. “It was a very stubborn basement fire,” he said. “But crews finally got the upper hand. We ended up using an aerial tower to direct the water into the basement area.”

Crews were constantly being cycled during the operation Tuesday to keep them warm as they fought through the frigid temperatures, Weeks added, noting the difficulty for firefighters shifted from fire to water at one point.

“There was a significant amount of water used to extinguish the fire,” Weeks said.

Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading...

It all had to be pumped out of the basement so that firefighters could clear the area of remaining hot spots and start investigating the cause of the fire, which is still unknown.

Weeks said they have no signs that it was suspicious at this point.

Toronto Fire evacuated everyone in the immediate area, and a TTC bus was requested as shelter from the cold. The surrounding buildings, which include a bridal shop, were untouched by the fire, but will have smoke damage and possibly water damage, Weeks said.

The blaze quickly moved up from its initial classification as a two-alarm fire Tuesday morning. The flames ate through the ground floor in some areas, leaving holes.

With files from Emerald Bensadoun