It opened two weeks ago but tonight the 9 women, most of them single mothers, who used to work at Coney Drive Fast Food are without a job. That is because the restaurant was destroyed by an early morning explosion on Central American Boulevard. Tonight police haven't ruled out arson and restaurant owner Ruth Logan says that's just what happened. Here's her story.
Keith Swift Reporting,
This is what's left of the Coney Drive Fast Food after a violent explosion last night Karen Reid lives across the street and she told me off camera what she saw and heard.
Karen Reid, Witness
"We were asleep about after twelve and we just heard a big noise like a tornado or something like that and when we woke up, we looked through the window and we saw the place over there on fire. When we got up, we realized it was a gas tank which was in the restaurant, it looked like it was on fire and it blowed out and busted up the whole window and the whole front and everything and the people from up there went and called the lady because she was upstairs asleep with her babies and they went to look for her and the fire people came and they out it."
Keith Swift,
So the building was on fire?
Karen Reid,
"Yes, when we heard it, the building was already on fire already. When we heard it, that is when the window blew out but it was already on fire."
Keith Swift,
Were you frightened?
Karen Reid,
"Yes because we thought all the houses had dropped down because we really didn't know what it was. We only heard but it sounded hard hard, like all the house had dropped down. So when I woke up I was looking to see boards on me or something but when my husband told me that it was just the fire over there so looked out and we saw everything across the street. We just thank God that no one was on the street to get hurt or anything like that."
No one was hurt but the restaurant, which was opened two weeks ago was devastated. Ruth Logan is the owner and was in Belmopan when she got the call.
Ruth Logan, Owner
"I got a call from my manager saying, she was in tears crying, that my place was on fire. I live in Belmopan so I told her don't worry about it, we're going to get to the bottom of this."
But more than a fire, this was an explosion.
Ruth Logan,
"On the left hand side to like the corner, they had a big like explosion thing there and the shutters were across the street; my burglar bars and everything were across the street, as you can see. The shed here was down. What could have caused that? In fact nothing else burnt, only that. The force was like in the front going out."
So what's the cause? Well police and fire officials believe it may have been caused by a leaking butane tank. Logan disagrees. She believes it was arson.
Ruth Logan,
"Somebody paid somebody to do something here and the guys were here this morning saying they were paid and they will talk because they haven't been paid the rest of the money. And I feel glad that I know that there is somebody out there that says they know who it is."
Keith Swift,
Why would somebody do this to you?
Ruth Logan,
"They want my business to close, they want my business to do bad. But you know what, like I always said, Coney Drive was here before, we are hard workers, we are a lot of single mothers, a lot of single parent families. We support each other so I just think they want to see my business down."
And that's why Logan has refused to give up.
Ruth Logan,
"A lot of people are like how come you are not crying. I don't want to cry. I can't cry. I am a survivor. I believe I am a survivor. I am an example to my customers and for everyone to see. Coney Drive will be back in more or less than a week's time."
Ambitious hope amidst a pile of ruin.
Logan declined to discuss the dollar amount of the damage. We do know the building wasn't insured. Logan says some of her appliances were recently bought and are insured. And of course as she mentioned, she hopes to reopen within a week's time. And if you are wondering why the name Coney Drive Fast Food for a restaurant on Central Boulevard, that's because it was originally located on Coney Drive.
