The fire was a three-alarm blaze that authorities believe may have started in the kitchen.
"We at Three Kings Public House are heartbroken this morning because of the fire that broke out at our Delmar Loop restaurant location," the restaurant said in a statement. "Thankfully, no one was injured during the fire as this occurred in the early morning hours before we were open."
According to a press release from University City, the fire department arrived on the scene after being called at 3:30 a.m. The fire had spread to the apartments above Three Kings, which the fire department attacked first. The apartments were occupied but were safely evacuated.
After extinguishing the fire in the apartments, the firefighters concentrated their efforts on the kitchen, which was when the second and third alarms were struck for additional manpower to extinguish the blaze. According to the press release "the units had several void spaces between floors and roofs due to construction over the years, which caused the fire to spread in between those void spaces. The roof of the kitchen collapsed within Three Kings Pub."
Witnesses described the fire as "massive." It is still not entirely extinguished, due to the rubble. The press release says that it will take firefighters hours to put out all of the fire. Delmar is closed off in both directions from the scene of the blaze.
BREAKING: Scene at Three Kings Public House in Del Mar Loop in University City. Massive 3 alarm fire raging at the popular restaurant/pub. First call came in just after 3am and the situation has grown from there. Crews from multiple fire depts on the scene. So far no injuries. pic.twitter.com/X8E3ujmGb2
— Chris Regnier (@chrisregniertv) April 26, 2023
A popular spot known for both its food and its strong beer selection, Three Kings is a perennial Best of St. Louis winner dating back to being named Best New Bar in 2011. Most recently, readers voted it Best Chain. After first opening on the Loop, Three Kings has grown to multiple locations, including in the airport, Des Peres and South County.#UDPDATE: Huge plume of smoke is still coming out of the building where Three Kings Pup is off Delmar. Delmar appears so still be closed in both directions at Skinker. Avoid this area #TrafficAlert: #stltraffic #ktvitraffic #fox2traffic @FOX2now pic.twitter.com/w3ODBoPm4M
— Amelia Mugavero (@amugaverotv) April 26, 2023
This is not the first time in the past week St. Louis has been rattled by fire. On Saturday, St. Louis lost blues legend Tom Hall due to a fire in his home in Soulard.
This story has been updated.
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