Fire Destroys Lewiston Taco John

An explosion and fire early Monday destroyed a Lewiston fast food restaurant.

The restaurant was not occupied when the fire started about 12:05 a.m.

A firefighter who suffered a cut on his leg from a nail was the only person injured.

Fire officials are not sure if the explosion or the fire came first, but the force of the blast knocked out a wall, said John Crawford, a Lewiston Fire Department shift commander.

The fire burned the rest of the Taco John’s restaurant at 1219 21st Street. An estimate of the damage was not available.

Firefighters battled the blaze for about an hour and a half, but were able to extinguish the fire before it spread to surrounding businesses.

Crawford said investigators have not determined the cause of the fire or whether it was intentionally set.

Investigators planned to begin sifting through the charred rubble today.