SALEM TOWNSHIP (WWJ) - Smoke could be seen for miles as a historic restaurant in Wayne County caught fire Wednesday night, forcing patrons out of the building during dinnertime.
According to Salem Township Fire Department, the blaze started at the popular restaurant on 6005 Gotfredson Rd. in Plymouth during the evening hours.
Just before 8 p.m., fire crews were on scene to help battle back the fire, but the log cabin, originally built in 1947, went up in flames -- and quickly.
"There's no question that Karl's Cabin will be closed for quite awhile," WWJ's Charlie Langton reported live from the scene on Thursday. "This morning I'm seeing that yellow tape is still on the parking lot, can't get into it, and I'm looking at the back of the restaurant which is extensively damaged."
Langton said the restaurant was serving diners when the fire started. Everyone was safely evacuated and no injuries were reported.
"Give some credit to the staff and people from Salem Township -- this is where it's at -- who got everybody out," Langton added.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation at this time.
Langton said the restaurant is one of the oldest log cabins in the state of Michigan with a rich history. According to the restaurant's website, the roadhouse, originally called Rusceak's Rustic Tavern, served local farmers on horseback, curious travelers and local town-folk traveling heading down on North Territorial Road.
In 1956, the restaurant once played host to the legendary Johnny Cash as the then-young singer traveled through Detroit from Toronto.
"Throughout the years, though, the tavern earned somewhat of a hard-nosed reputation," the Karl's Cabin website states. "It had become home to rowdy patrons who would drink and dance into the night, and arguments were routinely settled by bar clearing brawls."
The roadhouse was founded by Alex Rusceak and his wife, Katie. After Alex's death, Katie maintained the property until her retirement. She sold it in the late 1960s and it then became known as Hefner's Hideaway.
The roadhouse once again took on a bad reputation for its after-hours operations, illegal gambling, and disorderly clientele, Karl's stated on it's web page. It was shut down before reopening as The Stockyard, but that, too, ultimately closed.
The abandoned log cabin was discovered by Karl Poulos as he searched for a place to open a new establishment and in 1982, the current Karl's Family Restaurant opened its doors.