Residents reflect on destructive fire at popular hamburger joint

DALLAS - A popular University Park restaurant has been demolished after a fire Friday afternoon destroyed the landmark business.

Several firefighters were treated for minor heat injuries from the triple digit temperatures while they battled the three-alarm fire near at Goff’s Hamburgers on Hillcrest Avenue for several hours.

Fire crews say the flames started Friday afternoon around 12:45, and by the time they got there, it was already shooting out the roof.

“When you've got 100 degree temperatures, you can only rotate firefighters through a short period of time before they have to be re-hydrated,” said University Park Fire Chief Randy Howell. “They have to reduce that core temperature by taking that gear off and getting cooled off.”

With serious damage to the building, crews made the decision to knock the walls down, saying goodbye to an historic building that's been around since the 1920's.

Smoke from the fire could be seen for miles and was so thick and hazy it was hard to see in the immediate area by the building. The building itself appeared to be gutted by the fire.

It’s not yet clear how the fire started, but fire officials believe it may have started from a grease fire. All fire crews were pulled out of the building after about 30 minutes on scene because officials were afraid of the building collapsing.

No serious injuries were reported. from the fire.