Customers narrowly escape McDonald’s moments before roof collapses: ‘It was scary’

LEBANON, Mo. (KY3/Gray News) — Customers at a McDonald’s restaurant in Missouri narrowly escaped before the roof collapsed during a fire.

Ansley Tidwell, 11, visited the McDonald’s in Lebanon with her grandmother Saturday. But as soon as they walked through the front doors, they realized something was wrong.

“We walked in, and instantly we smelled the smoke,” Ansley said. “We just went up to order our food, and we asked if it was OK and stuff. And the lady said it was probably gonna be OK, so we didn’t, like, think anything of it.”

The pair sat down and began eating, but conditions quickly deteriorated. As smoke began filling the dining room, employees instructed everyone in the lobby to evacuate immediately. Moments later, the building gave way.

“It was scary… Like, the walls and the ceiling, they all just fell down and stuff on the corner,” Ansley recalled. “The ceilings and the walls, they just collapsed. It was like ‘pfoom.’”

Flames quickly spread through the building, sending heavy smoke billowing into the air and reaching nearby power lines.

Fire officials reported the blaze likely ignited in the kitchen before engulfing the rest of the restaurant.

According to the Lebanon Fire Department, the Missouri State Fire Marshal ruled that the official cause was “undetermined.”

For Ansley’s family, the loss of the building hits close to home. Her grandmother previously worked at that McDonald’s location, making it a familiar community hub rather than just another fast-food stop.

“It was like, sad for her,” Ansley said. “Because a lot of people would come here, hang out. Drink their coffee.”