A&W goes up in flames; no injuries reported
A fire was reported at 9:48 a.m. at Smithfield’s A&W Tuesday. Firefighters were on the scene within minutes and fought the fire for four hours said Mike Weibel, spokesperson for Smithfield Fire and Rescue. The cause is yet to be determined.
“We had at least one or two walls collapse and part of the roof. There are still a few embers burning on it,” Weibel said. “The last hour we had a backhoe pulling out debris to spray water on [the fire].”
A dollar value of the loss was not readily available for the A&W, located on the corner of 100 South and Main Street, Weibel said.
Weibel said investigators from the Utah State Fire Marshal Office searched the rubble looking for the fire’s cause and origin. Investigations will continue this week.
Tanya Collings, a sophomore majoring in English, saw the A&W fire while making a delivery for work. A police officer suggested she take a different route home.
Lots of people were watching the building burn. Weibel said it is common with any fire for many people to stop and watch.
“I thought it was really funny to see how many people had lined up to see the building burn and how traffic was jammed because everyone was trying to get a peek,” Collings said. “It was like they were watching fireworks or something.”
Firefighters from Smithfield, Richmond, Trenton, North Logan and Logan battled the flames. Also on the scene were chief officers from the Cache County Fire District.
No injuries occurred due to the fire, but Weibel said a lot of people were cold and many slipped and fell on ice.
Numerous people were surprised to hear another local establishment went up in flames.
“Burger King burned down a few years ago, Juniper Inn a few months ago and now A&W is gone,” said Bart Anderson, USU alumnus and North Logan resident. “Now Smithfield is back to a McDonald’s town – no competition.”
A&W’s roots start in 1919 Lodi, Calif. when Roy Allen set up a drink stand for a parade honoring veterans returning from World War I. Due to his success, Allen picked up a partner, Frank Wright, and in 1922 the two combined their initials to create the name A&W Root Beer.
The first permanent root beer stand was in Lodi, and then Sacramento, Calif. The partners established stands across the United States. Allen bought out Wright in 1924 to establish a franchising program.
More than 170 franchises existed in 1933. A&W changed ownership many times but in 1995 was purchased by Dr Pepper/7Up, Inc. Manufacturing is now in St. Lewis, Mo.
Some are saddened by the loss of Smithfield’s franchise even though Logan’s restaurant remains.
“Everyone loves [A&W], especially the root beer. It’s deeply disturbing Smithfield has a lack of A&W. Smithfield without an A&W is like New York without a Statue of Liberty,” said Mike Brown, junior in business finance.
More information about the fire will be available as the investigation continues.
-lindseykay@cc.usu.edu
As seen from The Ladder of the North Logan fire truck, the A&W sign sits amid the burned remnants of the restaurant in Smithfield. Crews from the north end of the valley responded to a call at 9 (Photo by John Zsiray)