Maricopa fire crews douse Dairy Queen kitchen blaze

Maricopa fire crews responded around 9:40 a.m. Saturday to a blaze inside the kitchen of Dairy Queen at John Wayne Parkway and Garvey Avenue.

The Dairy Queen is housed inside the same building as a Shell gas station and convenience store.

Brad Pitassi of the Maricopa Fire Department said the building was evacuated and crews quickly doused the fire once they arrived on scene. There were no injuries.

The Dairy Queen was not open at the time. Store hours are from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily, according to a store sign.   

The cause of the fire remains unclear.

Store owner Vimal Patel said an employee was putting new oil into a deep fryer, which was part of a regular routine. The fire started after the employee turned the fryer on and stepped away for a moment.

“It might have gotten too hot, too fast,” said Eddie Rodriguez, a fire investigator for the department.

A suppression system eventually turned on after the fire began.  The fryer and a nearby refrigerator were among the items damaged by the blaze.

It’s unclear how long the Dairy Queen will remain closed. Rodriguez said the store will have to receive health and fire inspections and complete other tasks prior to its opening.

Rodriguez said there is not an alarm system or sprinkler system inside the building, but the store is not breaking any codes. The Dairy Queen and Shell gas station are among a handful of businesses within Maricopa’s historic district that existed before certain codes were written.

These businesses would have to follow current codes if they decided to remodel or expand, he said.

Southwest Ambulance and the Maricopa Police Department also responded to the scene.