WDBJ7 Roanoke News and Weather NRV Lynchburg Danville | Fire at Olde Liberty Station Restaurant in Bedford

Fire at Olde Liberty Station Restaurant in Bedford

UPDATED 10:05 PM

Work to renovate the Olde Liberty Station Restaurant may have caused the Bedford landmark to burn down Friday morning.

Investigators say a machine that was scraping old paint from windows sparked a fire that quickly destroyed the century-old structure.

Liberty Station opened as a passenger train station in 1905.

It's where the famous "Bedford Boys" left to fight in World War II.

The building was converted into a restaurant in the late 1980's.

Two workers who were inside the building when flames broke out had to be treated for smoke inhalation.

They're doing ok now, but the building is badly damaged.

While the kitchen is still standing, the roof over the dining area has collapsed and firefighters say the inside suffered extensive smoke and water damage.

Many in Bedford stopped what they were doing to watch the building burn Friday morning.

Employees of Olde Liberty Station could only stand by and watch.

Denise Parker-Pond/Olde Liberty Station Employee: "It's really really awful to see it. This is like my home. It's rough."

Denise Parker-Pond was helping open the restaurant when the fire started.

"None of us thought it was as serious as it was. We were all still trying to get a to-go order out of the window for a customer we had waiting," she says.

In a matter of seconds, the entire building filled with smoke.

"It was just crazy. It all happened so quickly. We didn't even know what was happening."

Too fast, even for firefighters.

"Our fire department is less than 1/10 of a mile up the street. When we arrived, there was heavy black smoke showing from all four sides," said Deputy Fire Chief Zeph Cunningham.

Fire crews faced many challenges.

Their biggest? Water.

Towering flames quickly drained nearby hydrants.

"Probably at its peak, we were flowing 2,000 to 2,500 gallons per minute on this fire, which is a lot of water from any water system," said Cunningham.

------------------------------

A fire broke out at the Olde Liberty Station Restaurant in Bedford Friday morning. 

The first calls for fire crews went out about 11:20 a.m.  Investigators say it was likely an accident. The building was being renovated and a machine was being used to take off old paint. That machine is what police believe started the fire.

Smoke and flames destroyed the main dining area.  However, the kitchen area sustained minor smoke and water damage.  Two employees working in the kitchen were treated for smoke inhalation, but are okay. 

The building is a 100-year-old Colonial Revival building listed on the National Register of Historic Places.  Here's a map  of the location.

A large crowd gathered on Raflo Place as firefighters worked on putting out the fire.  We're told the owner of Olde Liberty Station Restaurant, Harry Leist, has owned the restaurant for eight years, but just purchased the building about four weeks ago.

Firefighters were able to save historic photos and artifacts from inside the structure.