Seven fire engines approached a FC campus-adjacent Burger King at midnight in response to a massive grease fire which burned a concentrated area above the stove, Oct. 20.

One manager and employee were in the store during the fire. Although the Burger King drive-thru is open 24 hours each day, the lobby was closed.

Manager Robert Young was not at the restaurant during the fire, but is working on getting the store back into order.

“We are not sure when we will re-open,” Young said. “We are having a huge loss in sales due to being shut down. Some employees are applying for unemployment because we don’t know when they will get their jobs back.”

Many students see the fast food joint as a place to relax, hang out with friends and eat. Da Eun Sunwoo, ’10, who says she often enjoys the bounties of the Cedar and Herndon restaurant, witnessed the effects of the fire firsthand.

“I go there every other day usually to get Icees and Mocha Joes,” Sunwoo said. “I went by, but I saw that they were closed, and I smelled smoke. I was very upset because my friends and I go there all the time and they do not even know when they will open again. Going to Burger King makes me smile because I love their drinks. I put in a prayer request in my Bible class so they can reopen ASAP.”

Other students are less effected by the franchise shutting down.

“I didn’t know about the fire,” Lisa Lumeya, ’12, said, “but it’s scary. I haven’t been to Burger King since last year, but I used to go a lot. I’m glad the damage isn’t too bad and that it didn’t spread to our campus.”

For more information, check out CBS’s video coverage.