Fire closes local coffee stand

PALMER — Cozy Cup Espresso sustained significant damage during a fire at the coffee stand Saturday afternoon.

“We came in, turned the power on and the next thing we knew there was black smoke,” owner Emma Doran said outside her charred stand while firefighters ensured every smolder was out.

Doran hugged several of her baristas outside the smoldering stand. Geneva Simmons, a Cozy Cup barista for nearly five years, was the only one there with Doran during the incident. Simmons said that all of the baristas were planning to meet around 12:30 p.m.

“It was just kind of spooky. It’s a little nerve racking but everyone is okay,” Simmons said. “That’s all that matters.”

Doran said that she and Simmons were there to clean up the mess of broken syrup bottles and other minor disarray caused by the powerful earthquake with an initial magnitude of 7.0 that shook the Valley on Friday morning. She said that as soon as they noticed the smoke, they immediately left the building, and moved their cars away from the stand. Shortly after, there was an explosion and subsequent flames, Doran said.

“It went quick, within seconds,” Doran said.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Doran, who has owned the stand for more than seven years, has insurance for the stand and plans to get it up and running as soon as she can.

“We’re rebuilding obviously,” Doran said.

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman reporter Jacob Mann at jacob.mann@frontiersman.com