Thurman Cafe owners: Fire could have started due to spontaneous combustion
According to a spokesperson for the German Village spot, investigation into the recent fire at the popular Thurman Cafe has taken a turn. Investigators who originally believed the devastating blaze was the result of an electrical malfunction are now considering the possibility of spontaneous combustion, said Aaron Suclescy, a member of the owners’ family and spokesperson for the restaurant.
The popular hamburger restaurant, begun by the Suclescy family in 1942, is a German Village destination for both locals and tourists – owing in part to its giant “Thurmanator” sandwich and national recognition on food-related television programs like Man vs Food.
Customers and employees alike were sent scrambling in the early afternoon of Sunday, April 12, when flames that were first noticed at the rear of the restaurant at 183 Thurman Ave. threatened to consume the entire building. Due, perhaps, to the age of the diner, the fire at first was believed to be electrical in nature. Now, Suclescy said, investigators have turned their attention to soiled cleaning rags that were stored behind the restaurant.
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“We normally keep our dirty rags behind the building,” said Aaron Suclescy. “A laundry service picks them up on Mondays and drops off clean ones. The latest thinking is that some of those soiled ‘bar rags’ may have spontaneously combusted, allowing fire to enter the rear of the building.” Suclescy stressed, however, that no official cause has been determined.
While spontaneous combustion may conjure up the fringe-science theory of spontaneous human combustion to some, spontaneous combustion is a very real, if relatively rare, phenomenon. In the case of grease-soaked rags, it’s possible that, as they oxidized (as the oil interacted with oxygen in the air), the rags created heat, but as they were heaped together in a pile, that heat become trapped, to the extent that a fire broke out. The rags were kept behind the Thurman Cafe building in compliance with state health and safety laws that say they must be stored away from dining and food preparation areas.
According to the National Fire Protection Association, spontaneous combustion accounts for more than 14,000 fires annually.
Owners had said they expected repairs to the 84-year-old restaurant to take several months. Suclescy said they’re now looking at March of next year. “The permitting, itself,” he said, “is likely to take months.”
Of immediate concern are the dozens of employees who now find themselves without jobs or paychecks. How can the owners and community support them? And can the restaurant expect to have any of its 30 veterans return after such a long closure? Thurman’s many friends and fans are stepping up to support them, just the same.
Ashley Randolph, a Columbus retail creative director and former server at Thurman’s, is promoting a GoFundMe campaign she started to help employees make ends meet. The hope is that many of the workers can eventually return to their old jobs. “I haven’t worked at Thurman’s for five or six years,” she said. “But I’ve remained very close to many on the staff, and I’d like to see them return.” When it comes to what makes the restaurant so popular, she added, “the employees are the magic sauce.”
Randolph has set a fundraising goal of $100,000, and she says she thinks that amount is within reach. “But we have to be careful how we raise the money and how we distribute it,” she added, “to keep from running afoul of state laws and regulations.”
Regardless of how successful the various funding efforts are, Thurman’s is already feeling the love. “The outpouring of support from our friends and neighbors has been nothing short of amazing,” Suclescy said. “With their help, we know we’ll get through this.”
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