VIDEO: Electrical cause suspected in Krekel's fire

Owner Troy Teel said employees were working inside the store at 2320 E. Main St. when a customer said, "Hey, the building's on fire."

Employees went to the back of the building and saw sparks and the fuse box in flames. "I'm just glad everyone's OK," he said.

Decatur Fire Chief Jeff Abbott said the first engine crew to arrive noticed an active fire in the back of the building near a power line. "Right now it appears electrical in nature," he said.

Abbott said firefighters had to wait for Ameren Illinois workers to cut the power before safely approaching the building to deal with the active fire. "The fact that you have an electrical fire with a metal roof, you definitely don't want to be touching any component of the roof," Abbot said.

The store is one of six Krekel's locations in the Decatur area. Others are 3727 N. Woodford St., 1355 N. Illinois 48, 801 E. Wood St. in Decatur; 1340 N. Illinois 121 in Mount Zion; and 232 Merchant St. in Macon, which opened earlier this month. 

Teel, who was at the Mount Zion location at the time of the fire, said his late mother, Suzanne, opened the store near Nelson Park in 1982. She added a red roof and the sprawling "Krekel's Kustard" sign soon after. Teel said he had recently completed work on the building.

Teel, emotional at a few points, has a tattoo on his arm that reads, "Mom."

"I can't tell you what a great person she was," he said, looking at the smoldering store.

Abbott said the damage seemed to be contained to the rear corner of the building and the roof. But cleanup from the smoke and hose water will take some time to repair. Damage was estimated at $73,000 by the fire department.

"I assume this Krekel's is going to be closed for a while," Abbott said.