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The balcony at Hotel Belmont has always been a draw for its views of the Dallas skyline, but drinkers got an unexpected side show this weekend. Across the street, where construction on the Sylvan Thirty housing and retail project continues, a welding spark ignited a blaze that quickly turned into an inferno.
Firefighters showed up to find the building already engulfed in flames, and due to heavy winds chose to focus their efforts on keeping the fire from spreading. While the Belmonters snapped pictures, the building nearly burned to the ground. By the time firefighters declared the fire contained it was completely destroyed.
The Sylvan Thirty project will include several apartment buildings, none of which were damaged in the fire, but the most exciting components of the project are the retail stores and restaurants. Sadly for ramen lovers, the building that was destroyed was to hold Teiichi Sakurai’s ramen bar, according to spokesman Cooper Smith Koch. It was also slated for a yoga studio that could have helped you immediately work off all that pork belly.
Not that food lovers are left with nothing in the near term. The Cox Farms grocery store, which is expected to open once the Sylvan Avenue construction is completed, was unaffected, according to Cox.
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