GALVESTON — As firefighters shuttled priceless family photographs from a burned and flooded restaurant Monday, Charles DiBella vowed to rebuild the Italian eatery he’s owned for 19 years.
Three people were injured, including one severely, when smoke and flames consumed the second-story of DiBella’s Italian Restaurant at 1902 31st St. A woman who lived above the restaurant escaped by the back stairs.
Second-story tenant Emily McCary, 37, suffered severe smoke inhalation and was taken to Mainland Medical Center in Texas City but was later transferred to Memorial Hermann Hospital in Houston, said Galveston Fire Marshal Gilbert Robinson.
“Witnesses told me she was trying to find her dog and pet bird,” Robinson said. “She crawled around on the floor of her bedroom, trying to get them out.”
Firefighters didn’t find the animals in the building, but it was unclear whether they escaped unharmed.
The fire isn’t suspicious in nature, but Robinson said he wanted to speak with McCary before revealing the cause of the blaze. It could be Thursday before he interviews her, he said.
One firefighter suffered minor burns around his ears and another fell from a ladder as crews tried to bring the blaze under control. Neither required medical treatment, said Galveston Fire and Rescue Battalion Chief Jens Jensen.
A construction worker from San Antonio, who couldn’t sleep in his first night in his Galveston apartment, went outside about 4:30 a.m. to get a pack of cigarettes from his truck and noticed smoke coming from the building.
Jeff Goodwin went to the rear stairwell to see if he could help. “I called 911 and saw a young lady come out,” Goodwin said. “She came out of nowhere from that smoke.”
Flames Shoot From Windows Firefighters arrived, finding flames shooting from the upstairs windows.They rushed inside and tried to attack the blaze and search for occupants, but the heat and flames quickly put them on the defensive, trying to protect nearby homes, Jensen said.
The fire was mostly knocked down within 30 minutes, and an hour into the fight, smoke billowed from a shell of a second floor.
“I’ve waited tables there for 17 years,” said Nanette Crouch, as tears streamed from her eyes. “It’s like a second home. We just got back open a couple of months ago.”
Hurricane Ike’s Sept. 13 landfall inundated the ground-floor restaurant, which Frank Marczak helped rebuild.
Pictures Saved
DiBella said his restaurant was insured and that he would rebuild as soon as possible.
“We got all the photos and family pictures out,” DiBella said as employees placed them in the rear of Goodwin’s pickup. “We’ll probably have to take the top off. We’ll just have to see what it looks like downstairs.”
Police Sgt. Tim Buck, who had his wedding rehearsal dinner there, said the restaurant was a special place frequented by locals. DiBella said he had many regular customers from out of town, as well. Goodwin, who lives across the street, said he hadn’t yet tried the restaurant and was looking forward to sitting down for a Wednesday special.
Marczak carried the dry-erase menu board listing the previous day’s special to Goodwin’s truck and said the filet stuffed with lump crab, pasta primavera and German chocolate cake would be the special when the restaurant reopens.
DIBELLA RECOVERY FUND
Galveston.com & Company has set up a DiBella Recovery Fund via PayPal to assist DiBella's Italian Restaurant in its rebuilding efforts.
