ROCKLAND, Mass. — A car slammed into a pizzeria, igniting a fire just below residential apartments in a mixed-use building on Union Street early Monday.
Fire crews rushed to Mike's Pizza just after midnight after someone knocked on the door to the fire station around midnight to alert them to the crash.
The driver of the car, Lauren Hutcheon, 40, who was the sole occupant, was already out of the vehicle when firefighters arrived, Rockland Fire Chief Scott Duffey said. She was taken to a local hospital to be evaluated.
Crews worked quickly to contain the fire inside Mike's Pizza, and residents from nine apartments above the business were evacuated. They were eventually allowed to return after power was restored.
#UPDATE First look at damage inside Mike’s Pizza. Owner says he’s been in business for 20 years with the last three at current location. He’s thankful restaurant was closed and no customers in dining rm. He hopes to re-open in a few days. @boston25 pic.twitter.com/hh0EWXF2wS
— Joy Dumandan (@JoyDumandanTV) October 28, 2019
Police say the initial investigation suggests Hutcheon was speeding down Reed Street, heading east, when she crossed Union Street and crashed into Mike's Pizza.
Hutcheon faces several charges including OUI liquor, negligent operation, failure to stop and speeding.
Ron Lopes, the owner of Mike's Pizza, said if the crash had happened just two hours earlier, people would have been sitting at the booths inside the restaurant. Lopes said by the time he arrived at his business, the car had already been removed.
By midmorning, the hole where the car had launched through the wall had been boarded up but inside the cleanup was just beginning. Lopes says he hopes to have the restaurant back up and running in a few days.
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