Late night fire strikes downtown Mount Pleasant
Flames ripped through a part of downtown Mount Pleasant late Monday night. No one was injured, but the fire damaged three businesses.
The fire broke out around 9:50 p.m. inside Stitches Oddity, quickly spreading to Pleasant City Coffee and The Painted Turtle, according to ABC 12.
Firefighters contained the fire by 10:26 p.m., but they continue to investigate its cause, according to a press release from the Mount Pleasant Fire Department.
Pleasant City Coffee posted on their Instagram yesterday after the fire that everyone is okay and that they will be closed Tuesday, Sept. 16.
Owner Isabelle Steffke confirmed that The Painted Turtle’s live turtles were all safely rescued, though she said the cleanup ahead will be daunting given the extent of the fire damage.
“There’s so much to plan but it is a horrible thing,” Steffke said. “We need new flooring so it’s going to be a whole renovation.”
Inside the studio, water and smoke damage coated the walls and supplies.
“The studio only has water and smoke damage, which is not great, but it could’ve been much worse,” she said, adding she may have to throw away much of the artwork.
By morning, messages of support from the community were already pouring in.
“I woke up this morning and I can’t even tell you the number of emails, texts and everything,” Steffke said. “It just shows that people actually care about it.”
The Mount Pleasant Fire Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
