By Maria Allard
C & G Staff Writer

CENTER LINE — Local fire departments, including Center Line, Eastpointe and Roseville, spent hours the late afternoon and evening hours of June 10 fighting a blaze that occurred at the Italian Village liquor store, 26755 Van Dyke just south of the I-696 service drive.

Firefighters also used a Detroit Arsenal Fire Department ladder truck to fight the blaze. Van Dyke south of the service drive was blocked off for hours, as was the I-696 freeway eastbound exit.

Residents gathered on the sidewalks on east and west Van Dyke to watch fire crews put out the fire. Some passersby snapped pictures of the scene.

The building was bulldozed to the ground as part of a continuing investigation to determine the cause of the fire. In addition, the two lanes of Van Dyke in front of the store were blocked off this morning to keep traffic at bay.

Fourteen-year-old Dylan Dobell, of Rochester Hills, was coming to the area to visit his grandmother after school when he spotted a number of fire trucks.

“They were blocking off traffic. I didn’t know what to think,” he said. “I thought maybe there was an explosion. I wasn’t sure.”

You can reach Staff Writer Maria Allard at allard@candgnews.com or at (586) 498-1045.