right by my deep fryer that went on fire

The owner of the Paladin Restaurant says she is crushed after her business of 24 years burned to the ground just a few months after her husband passed away.


"I didn't know what to say or what to do," says Julie Zoroneck. "I wanted to just actually fall to the ground and just started crying. "My husband just passed away December fourth and I'm not over him and this happens."


Don King was the only person inside the restaurant when the fire, which caused $1.5 million in damage, broke out. He had just started his shift when he noticed flames.


"I wanted out of there because the gas lines are right by my deep fryer that went on fire," says King.


King says the loss is hard on the thirty people the Paladin used to employ, and the hundreds of customers who ate at the restaurant for years.


"When you came here they welcomed you with open arms," adds longtime customer Jason Hoger. "They showed you the best respect and served you one heck of a meal."


Hoger says he'd like the owner to rebuild the restaurant but that may not happen.


"I would like to rebuild but I can't say right now," says owner Julie Zoroneck. "I can't say right now."


Police do not expect the fire to be suspicious but its cause is still under investigation.