The patriarch of South Tucsonβs restaurant row, Crossroads Restaurant Drive In, was severely damaged by fire early Sunday morning.
Emergency calls to the historic eatery thatβs been serving Mexican food at the corner of South Fourth Avenue and East 36th Street since 1936 began about 1:30 a.m., said Capt. Andrew Luna of the South Tucson Fire Department.
The fire grew so big that numerous crews from both South Tucson and the Tucson Fire departments were called on to help fight the fire, Luna said. Crews fought the blaze until about 4:00 a.m., he said.
βAt one point two ladder trucks were blaring down water from the top, so thatβs a lot of pressure. If that hitβs a window, if it hits a wall, a door, those things are going to be blown out at times,β Luna said.
A woman helps to clear some of the debris near a doorway at Crossroads Restaurant Sunday following an early morning fire that caused severe damage to the longtime restaurant in South Tucson.
No cause had been immediately determined Sunday afternoon.
βUnfortunately, when we have fires like this in the middle of the night ... itβs very hard to determine (cause),β Luna said.
A portion of the roof had collapsed, and several portions of the exterior walls were charred. Workers had boarded up the windows by early Sunday afternoon.
There were no injuries.
The family-owned restaurant is a fixture in South Tucson, sitting at a corner across the street of the former greyhound racing track.
It used to serve diners in their cars, who would drink pitchers of beer and eat a meal under its covered parking.
Later the restaurant expanded its seafood menu and often had live music.
Attempts to reach the owners of the restaurant Sunday afternoon were not immediately successful.
