Twelve firefighters from the South Charleston Fire Department got to hear two words that aren't said too often Friday at the International House of Pancakes on Corridor G in South Charleston.
Thank you.
"You don't really hear those two words that often," said firefighter Matt Kessler, 32.
The firefighters who put out the fire at the IHOP in June were among the first customers served in the newly rebuilt restaurant.
The IHOP was still in the finishing touches of being completed. Tools, spackle and stools were scattered throughout the restaurant, with workers scurrying around to get some of the finishing touches in place.
One worker was putting a fake wood exterior on the walls, another was powerwashing the sidewalk in front.
"It's nice to see that they were so quick to grow it back," said firefighter Corey Smith, 24. "They actually improved the interior and exterior look of it."
It's rare that the firefighters get to see a building get rebuilt after a fire. Normally, there's so much damage that they just get demolished.
"We go in and we fight a house or building fire, we put our lives in danger and then it goes away," said South Charleston Fire Chief John Taylor. "It's rewarding to see the effort that we put into it, that it's still standing."
This building survived because people eating at the restaurant noticed the smoke, allowing the fire department to get there quickly. If it had happened in the middle of the night, it might not be standing.
"Five more minutes and this building would have been in the ground," Taylor said.
Kristy Keatley, general manager of the IHOP, came up with the idea of thanking the firefighters. It also gave the kitchen and staff some practice before their opening next week.
"It's a training opportunity for the new hires, and it's our way of saying thank you for putting out the fire," Keatley said.
The new servers got practice taking the orders from the firefighters, who mulled over what to pick from the menu.
"Whatever it is, it's going to have bacon on it," Taylor said.
The fire in June started in the mulch outside of the building. Before long, the fire had worked its way between the stucco walls and started burning two by fours, sending smoke throughout the building. When the fire department got there and opened up the walls, the fire took off.
It's not uncommon to have mulch fires, often resulting from a discarded cigarette, especially in the spring and summer when the temperatures are high and the conditions are conducive to fire.
Outside the rebuilt IHOP, where there was once mulch, there are now rocks.
Reach Daniel Desrochers at dan.desrochers@wvgazettemail.com, 304-348-4886 or follow @drdesrochers on Twitter.