Downtown Locust Grove Staple A Total Loss After Fire

A popular downtown Locust Grove diner is a total loss after a fire.

Firefighters responded to the scene after an explosion around 1:00 Monday, August 27, 2018.

A cause hasn’t been determined yet, but several people in the town said they heard the explosion.

Firefighters believe it started in a building that used to be a downtown bar, then spread into a vacant building next to DJ’s Diner before moving into the diner itself, which is now a total loss.

The owner said they did have some people inside when they fire started, but everyone made it out safely.

The owner said it's been difficult to watch the building burn. Many in the community are also trying to process the loss of the downtown staple. They said DJ's Diner had the best burgers in town and that it will be missed.

One woman who said her family used to own the building before the current ownership said she was in Sand Springs with her son when she found out about it.

“My son is a Tulsa firefighter and we were in Sand Springs, and his dad is a firefighter, and his dad called him and told him we needed him back and he said the town was on fire,” Judy Gibson said.

Locust Grove, Pryor and several other fire departments responded to the scene, along with the Mayes County Sheriff’s Office and the Locust Grove Police Department.

The mayor said there is an outside wall that has been tapped off because it is in danger of caving in. He said they may have to bring in a back hoe to knock it down so it's not a risk to the public.

Firefighters also said they may have to use a back hoe to lift part of the roof of the diner that caved in to get to the fire that is still burning underneath it.