Grecian Yearning Restaurant ablaze
By Kaz - 6/10/08 - 5:32 pm
Grecian Yearning after the fire. Photo by Jake Wolman (photo used under Creative Commons).
There are a large number of fire and rescue vehicles on Harvard Ave between Brighton Ave and Comm Ave in Allston. Ladder trucks are extended near the Wonder Bar and Soul Fire barbecue restaurant and police have closed off that block. I have no other details yet, as I typed this on the B line from my cellphone.
Update: LiveJournal members are saying that it was the Grecian Yearning Restaurant at 174 Harvard Ave that had a large fire.
Comments
Live submitting?
By Kaz - 6/10/08 - 5:52 pm
Adam, what's your opinion on a story like this one where something pretty big and interesting seems to be happening but the submitter, like myself in this case, was on the scene and not at a computer? Are you interested in these sorts of sparse detail, potentially immediate breaking stories or would you rather wait until there's a link and some definition of what went on before it's posted?
I say go for it
By adamg - 6/10/08 - 6:09 pm
If it's breaking, let's break it here. You can always edit your original post or add to it with comments (my own preference is to edit the original post if it's within, oh, 30 minutes or so, then add new info in comments for folks who might not think to look at the original post a second time).
And thanks!
Okay, cool
By Kaz - 6/10/08 - 6:21 pm
Just 2 questions then:
It seems like the "read more" break comes at the first white space usually. I just added an "update" with a link to people discussing the actual location of the fire and it wanted to force that text off of the main page (but I think that's critical to be read without needing to jump to the separate page. Is there any code I can insert between paragraphs to get a small separation but to tell the site not to make it into a breakable whitespace? Know what I mean?
Second question is how you insert the Google Map Street View images that I've seen you use before to indicate the original scene of a fire. The iframe cut'n'paste from Google Maps doesn't render here (fair enough). Where those just screenshots hosted elsewhere or where you using something fancier than the online editor that I have access to? Just curious, I was going to throw in a pic of the Grecian Diner in the story text to fill it out a bit more.
Breaker, breaker
By Kaz - 6/10/08 - 6:34 pm
Ok, just saw your edit to the story that manually determines where the break will go. Thanks.
Aw, not the Grecian Yearning!
By adamg - 6/10/08 - 6:19 pm
Best greasy spoon ever! Here's hoping they have insurance.
Eeriely prophetic
By Kaz - 6/10/08 - 6:29 pm
The Loaded Gun blog recently named the Diner a "hotspot" because of its upcoming appearance in "The Lonely Maiden" starring Morgan Freeman, Christopher Walken, and William H. Macy.
OH NO!!
By jennie (not verified) - 6/10/08 - 7:25 pm
I LOVE the Grecian! I was just there two hungover Saturdays ago. They are such nice people and such a great spot for a cheap yummy breakfast. That picture looks pretty awful - I hope they have the funds to rebuild.
I heard from someone earlier that there was a fire but couldn't find anything online- but just got off the T (around 8pm) there and saw Harvard blocked off.
What a shame - I hope they come back.
Doesn't look good
By adamg - 6/10/08 - 7:24 pm
Photo.
Photos from Grecian Yearning fire
By anon (not verified) - 6/10/08 - 7:31 pm
More photos
I got a picture
By Mulieribus (not verified) - 6/10/08 - 7:41 pm
Looks completely gutted. Sad.
can't tell from this pic, but
By pom (not verified) - 6/10/08 - 8:06 pm
on chowhound they're saying next-door-neighbor Hanmaru was gutted as well.
update
By pom (not verified) - 6/10/08 - 9:36 pm
The poster takes back the "gutted":
ah, chowhound...
Firefighters lowered into the basement on ropes
By adamg - 6/10/08 - 9:46 pm
The Herald has details: Fire knocked down the fire in about 15 minutes, but the place was still gutted and three firefighters were taken to the hospital with heat exhaustion.
No of us were lowered by
By pasty oaks (not verified) - 6/11/08 - 11:53 am
No of us were lowered by ropes. The Korean joint should be back shortly unless they use this as time to make improvements. Majority of the fire knoked down in 15 mins. Biggest problem, the basement was divided into unconnected sections and used to be a bowling alley. The fire had a good foothold there.
Hm...
By Kaz - 6/11/08 - 11:59 am
No offense to those that love the Grecian, but can we get the bowling alley back?
Old bowling alleys
By adamg - 6/11/08 - 12:19 pm
I bet every neighborhood has one. Supposedly, there are the remnants of one in Roslindale (above the Greek bakery in the Square?), and the basement of the West Roxbury post office was supposed to be designed to allow a bowling alley (well, so not an old one so much as a potential old one).
Somerville Theatre used to have a bowling alley in its basement
By Ron Newman - 6/11/08 - 12:26 pm
The basement now contains two small cinema theatres, and the Somerville branch of the Museum of Bad Art.
Another Allston bowling alley
By Allstonian - 6/11/08 - 1:18 pm
I believe there was another bowling alley on Brighton Avenue, in the downstairs space below what's now the Fun Food Snackery.
Still more photos
By adamg - 6/11/08 - 9:15 am
Here.