Mold Remediation in Toledo, OH

Monarch Comics Of Toledo, Ohio, Burns Down... but will it rise from the ashes next year? That's the plan.

Article Summary

Monarch Comics of Toledo, Northwest Ohio, posted the bad news to Facebook, with manager Ed Katschke saying "This is not the message I wanted to post this morning. Or ever, really. There was a fire at Colonial Village this morning that started around 3:30AM. Despite the best efforts of Toledo's finest Monarch Comics was a complete loss. We lost everything. All books, both new and old, are destroyed. Brian, Hill, and I surveyed the devastation ourselves this morning. I have no idea what the future holds for us at this point. I can definitely say that we are going to be closed for the time being. Thank you for all of your support over the years, not only the business, but the love, lives, and friendships you've shared with us." The message saw hundreds of posts from customers and comics creators offering support.

The next day, Katschke of Monarch Comics followed up, saying "Wow. I have to admit that I'm more than a little overwhelmed by the outpouring of support the store has received after the destruction we suffered earlier today. Really, it is much appreciated by myself, Hill, and Brian as the last 18 hours have been pretty rough. The good news is that plans are being hatched to get Monarch Comics up and running again. I'll admit it was quite a blow to walk through the wreckage, but after talking to my husband and some good friends, as well as getting a little nap, I think I've hatched some plans that may get us up and running for new comics by the beginning of next year. So stay tuned to this channel for more info soon. Brian and I will be surveying more of the damage tomorrow, and those of you volunteering to help lug things around may be contacted soon… Thanks again for all of your caring and support. It was badly needed today by all of us here at Monarch. We do love you all!"

Stay up-to-date and support the site by following Bleeding Cool on Google News today!

TOLEDO, Ohio (WTVG) - Several businesses are destroyed, leaving dozens of lives disrupted.

An early morning fire ripped through the Colonial Village Plaza at Key Street and Heatherdowns Boulevard in Toledo on Monday, Dec. 9, 2024. The flames devastated Monarch Comics, Chiropractic 419, and Shawn’s Irish Tavern.

“It’s just awful and your heart breaks for all the people affected, so, any way that we can kind of give back, you know, that’s the least we can do,” said Kane Anderson, owner of Dale’s Bar & Grill in Uptown Maumee.

Anderson, who’s dad owned Dale’s for 37 years, explained his staff immediately wanted to help the 35 employees of Shawn’s and their families.

“Our assistant bar manager here ... she also works at Shawn’s part-time. So, she kind of was, you know, they have a group message, all of the servers have a group message and, you know, she was kind of explaining I guess, like, what had happened, and one of our servers, Andrea, she texted me really early on in the morning and she asked if it would be ok if we did a toy drive,” said Anderson.

While Dale’s was closed Monday, as it is every Monday, employees were hard at work. They’re asking everyone to drop off toys and gift cards that can be used for diapers, groceries, gas, and other essentials. They’re collecting them now through Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024 at Dale’s Bar & Grill, 322 Conant St, Maumee, OH.

“You can’t imagine, you know? I mean, obviously, you know, a fire, it’s like one of the biggest fears, you know, in this industry of something that would happen, and just the idea of it happening now, you know, around the holidays when it’s usually such a merry time. You know, everyone’s looking forward to, you know, getting in a lot of hours right now, working a lot of hours,” added Anderson.

Visit the Facebook page of Dale’s to see the ages of the boys and girls of employees to get an idea of what types of items to donate. The children range in ages from 6 months to 14 years old.

Latest Local News | First Alert Weather | Crime | National | 13abc Originals

Copyright 2024 WTVG. All rights reserved.

Several business in the strip mall were affected by the blaze.

TOLEDO, Ohio — Investigators are working to find the cause of a major fire that damaged several businesses at a strip mall in south Toledo.

Firefighters at the scene told WTOL 11 a call came in around 2:30 a.m. about a fire at a location in the Colonial Village plaza near the intersection of Heatherdowns and Key Street.

Several businesses in the strip mall were affected by the blaze.

Monarch Comics posted on Facebook Monday morning that their business was a "complete loss." According to the business, they lost everything, including all of their books both old and new.

"Thank you for all of your support over the years," Monarch wrote. "Not only the business, but the love, lives, and friendships you've shared with us."

This is not the message I wanted to post this morning. Or ever, really. There was a fire at Colonial Village this...

Posted by Monarch Comics on Monday, December 9, 2024

Shawn's Irish Tavern posted on Facebook on Monday afternoon that the restaurant was heavily damaged, including the roof being gone in some areas. The restaurant said the main damage is from smoke and water.

The restaurant said in the Facebook post that the fire "does not seem to have started inside of Shawn's" and the tavern will be closed for the foreseeable future.

"Thankfully no one was inside the building and no one was harmed. The only thing destroyed was stuff, all of which is replaceable. Thank you for your continued support and prayers over the years. We will need them more than ever now," Shawn's Irish Tavern said in the Facebook post.

As most already know, there was a fire at the Colonial Village Shopping Center happened early this morning. As of now,...

Posted by Shawn's Irish Tavern - Toledo on Monday, December 9, 2024

Sebastiano's Italiano Restaurant, which was near the site of the incident, said in a post it was not affected by the fire besides a power outage. The owners wished the best to the nearby affected businesses.

No injuries were reported.

The intersection of Heatherdowns and Key was temporarily closed to traffic while firefighters worked to extinguish the fire.

Credit: WTOL 11

Teague Helsel, the co-owner of M66 Tree Farms, says he woke up to the fire around 3 a.m. as his business is currently stationed at the plaza.

"First, I heard the sirens but it's pretty normal around here, sometimes there's car crashes and stuff," Helsel said.

He said he didn't think much of it at first until he looked out his window

"I saw the fire truck outside and I can hear the wind, usually it's really windy here 'cause it's an open field over there, so I was just checking our stands to see if they're moving," he said.

He wasn't hearing wind, though. It was the fire.

"I went outside and stood out here by the camper and probably about 100 yards away from me I can feel the heat of the fire," Helsel said. "The canopy up there was almost completely gone by the time I was there, but it was still a massive fire."

Customers are also feeling devastated as they came to see the damage for themselves of where they planned on eating lunch but had to find elsewhere.

"I live down the road so I know all the employees and my heart goes out to them and the owner. It's a sad situation at this time of year," said Robin Kuhl, a resident who came to the plaza for lunch at Shawn's Irish Tavern.

Check out our list of the best holiday lights in the area.

TOLEDO, Ohio — Looking for the best holiday lights in your area?

We've got the best professional and home displays for you to visit and enjoy with friends and family.

Hensville Lights | N St Clair St, Toledo

Lights Before Christmas | 2 Hippo Way, Toledo

Lighting Up Nevada Street | 2019 Nevada St., Toledo

Lights on Hull Prairie | 21266 Hull Prairie Road, Bowling Green

Nite Lites | 12626 US 12 Brooklyn,MI

Merry and Bright Christmas Lights | 1001 W Market St., Celina

Holiday Nights in Greenfield Village | Dearborn

North Pole Express | 12505 County Road 99, Findlay

Sandusky County Fairgrounds Winter Wonderland | 901 Rawson Avenue, Fremont

Rock & Awe Holiday Light Show | 100 N. Park Avenue, Sandusky County Courthouse, Fremont

Christmas Cruise Thru | 530 South Main Street, Hicksville

Holiday Lights on Rome Court | 7705 Rome Court, Holland

Lake of Lights | 13344 State Route 67, Kenton

Mercy Health Bright Lights | 2750 Harding Highway, Lima

Bazillion Lights | 29718 Robert Dr., Livonia, Michigan

Buschmann's Lights | 1935 S. Freedom Dr, Northwood

Christmas on Wheeling | 538 S Wheeling St., Oregon

Lights on Grasser | 1100 Grasser Street, Oregon

Lempke Family Light Display | 419 East 5th Street, Port Clinton

The Ageless Child's Christmas | 107 Birch Drive, Rossford

Lights on the NorthCoast | Erie County Fairgrounds, 3110 Columbus Ave., Sandusky

Seneca County Family Fair Lights | 100 Hopewell Ave., Tiffin

Upper's Winter Fantasy of Lights | Harrison Smith Park, 525 E Wyandot Ave, Upper Sandusky

4-H Exchange Club Holiday Light Show | 125 Fox Road, Van Wert

Armstrong Museum Holiday Lights | 500 Apollo Dr, Wapakoneta

Gift of Lights | 1001 Fairview Dr, Wapakoneta

DETROIT (AP) — About 1,100 workers at the Stellantis Jeep factory in Toledo, Ohio, are facing layoffs early next year as the company takes further steps to cut high inventory at dealerships.

Stellantis said Thursday that the Toledo South plant, which makes the Jeep Gladiator midsize pickup truck, will go from two daily shifts to one as early as Jan. 5.

Sales of the Gladiator, the pickup truck version of the Jeep Wrangler SUV, are down nearly 21% so far this year to 36,519, according to Motorintelligence.com.

“These are difficult actions to take, but they are necessary to enable the company to regain its competitive edge and eventually return production to prior levels,” Stellantis said.

A message was left Thursday seeking comment from the United Auto Workers union, which represents employees at the Toledo plant.

Under the union contract with Stellantis, laid-off workers will get supplemental pay for one year that, when combined with state unemployment benefits, will equal 74% of regular pay. They’ll also get health insurance coverage for two years, Stellantis said.

The move is the latest action by the company as it struggles with high inventory on dealer lots in the U.S. Stellantis’ overall sales have been down most of the year in the U.S., and discounts to counter high sticker prices that came after a poor second quarter didn’t work.

In August, the company warned that it could lay off as many as 2,450 of the 3,700 union workers at the pickup truck plant in Warren, Michigan, north of Detroit. It said at the time the number of job cuts will be lower because of early retirement offers.

In the U.S., Stellantis’ dealer inventory ballooned to just over 430,000 vehicles in June. Third-quarter sales fell 20%, and they’re down over 17% for the first nine months. The rest of the auto industry saw sales increase 1% from January through September.

CEO Carlos Tavares said in October that inventory dropped by 52,000 in recent months, and the company is trying to get below 350,000 by Christmas for a “fresh start” going into the new year.

Last month the world’s fourth-largest automaker, which was created by the 2021 merger of PSA Peugeot and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, reported a 27% drop in net revenues for the third quarter.

Tavares has been under fire from U.S. dealers and the United Auto Workers union this year, caught off guard by too many high-priced vehicles on dealer lots. Tavares has been trying to cut costs by delaying factory openings, laying off union workers and offering buyouts to salaried employees.

The union is threatening to strike against the company over delays in reopening an assembly plant in Belvidere, Illinois, which Stellantis blames on a slowing market.