A three-alarm fire gutted most of the Bethany University cafeteria building Tuesday night, June 16.
No one was hurt in the blaze, which firefighters said probably started in the kitchen, where most of the damage occurred.
Classes had ended in April and no students were in residence except for a few student employees, but the university hosts summer camps scheduled to begin in a few days.
Preliminary damage estimate is $1.2 million.
University staff members said the building, known simply as The Cafe, had been undergoing remodeling. A crew was working on the kitchen’s walk-in refrigerator-freezer area Tuesday.
But fire investigators said they don’t think the construction caused the fire.
About 40 firefighters from as far away as Aptos responded to the fire. The first engine company on the scene reported smoke seeping through siding on the walls.
