A fire in downtown Fredericksburg Saturday evening shut down traffic as multiple agencies responded to the 600 block of Caroline Street.
The Fredericksburg Fire Department was dispatched at 6:03 p.m. for a fire at The Southern Bagel & Provision. When firefighters arrived, they saw smoke coming from the front and left side of the first floor of the two-story building, according to Fredericksburg Fire Chief Mike Jones. The business was closed at the time.
Firefighters, with assistance from Stafford County Fire and Rescue and Spotsylvania Fire and Rescue, forced in the front door and advanced a hose line behind the counter of the business and were able to find and extinguish a small fire on and near a side window. Other crews stretched a second hose line outside Billken’s Smokehouse next door to protect it from fire coming out the window.
Firefighters searched the business and apartments upstairs for occupants but found all had evacuated. The fire was extinguished in about five minutes, according to Jones, but smoke removal and overhaul of the fire area took another 30 minutes.
The fire marshal conducted an on-site origin and cause investigation. While the fire is still under investigation, Jones said it does not appear to be suspicious. There were no injuries to firefighters or civilians, but the hot temps did take their toll on firefighters. Crews were rotated as a precaution in the heat.
Jones said the scene was cleared about 90 minutes after dispatch, and streets reopened to traffic.
