OHIO CITY – Cleaning crews spent Tuesday afternoon sweeping up debris at the future headquarters of Mitchell’s Homemade Ice Cream.
A fire broke out around 2 a.m. at its building located at West 25th and Bridge Avenue in Ohio City. The Cleveland Fire Department says nobody was in the building at the time.
”I think it’s bad,” said Tammy George, who lives nearby. “For any fire, it’s bad, so I hope they do open up on time.”
The Cleveland Fire Department says the blaze was contained and most of the damage appears to be on the second floor.
Mitchell’s Ice Cream says the fire will not delay its opening. The company released this statement on its Facebook fan page: “Thank you for your warm wishes and support. There was a small fire in our Ohio City Kitchen and Shop under construction but nobody was hurt. The damage is minor and should not affect our plans to open later this year.”
Town Hall café recently moved into Ohio City and serves Mitchell’s products on the menu, said general manager Christa Fitch. The café is excited to see the neighborhood grow.
“Mitchell’s is definitely something everybody in the neighborhood is looking forward to having down here. So, definitely a camaraderie-building situation with them, and it’s unfortunate to hear that they’re in this sort of position,” she said. “Hopefully it was something that can be fixed quickly and hopefully it was something that wasn’t intentional.”
The cause of the fire is unknown, but the building was under full renovation.
Residents like Frank Miller, of Cleveland, are anxious for the opening.
“Hope they recover real soon and open as quick as they can, cause I think Mitchell’s Ice Cream is a great company and can only bring some good things down here,” Miller said. “And we all need ice cream.”