Fire Gutted Ashland Dairy Queen Scheduled for Spring Reopening

ASHLAND, Ore. — Ashland residents will have to wait until Spring to savor a “blizzard” at their local Dairy Queen, which was razed by fire last September, causing $1.5 million in damage.

The reopening date has been confirmed by Jason Frederico who owns four DQ franchises – Ashland, two in Grants Pass, and White City.

Flames Were So Fierce They Melted the Interior

The Ashland blaze, which gutted the interior of the shop, is thought to have started in the kitchen at the back of a freezer. Trapped between the freezer and the interior wall, the flames quickly spread despite the efforts of staff to stop the blaze. The flames were so fierce that they melted a C02 sensor and stripped the enamel off tiles. All plastic objects were devoured. Flames traveled up trusses towards the rafters and the floor was burned a sooty black.

The fire occurred on a Saturday while Frederico was salmon fishing. He was alerted by his wife, Katie. The DQ owner says his staff, bravely assisted by a customer, did everything they could to extinguish the flames. Frederico says he is grateful that his staff members walked out of the building unscathed.

24 Staffers Left Without Income

While no one was injured in the fire, 24 members of staff found themselves out of work. Frederico admits feeling bad for them as there is no insurance to help cover their loss of income. Despite this, the franchise owner believes that several of his former employees will return to the fold once the Ashland DQ reopens its doors.

Tentative plans are to reopen by mid-June, but Frederico is optimistic that the DQ branch could start operating as early as April.