One of Toronto's most beloved burger establishments went up in flames, alarm bells ringing around 10:30 a.m on Friday at the Rudy Burger location near Queen and Duncan.

The call was only rated a one-alarm fire and the building appears to be mostly intact. Still, the damage at 69 Duncan Street, one of five locations of the popular establishment, appears to be pretty extensive.

I’ve had a few run-ins with fire throughout the pandemic. I consider myself relatively lucky, all things considered.

It’s always captivating to watch @Toronto_Fire firefighters at work. #TOpoli #TOfire pic.twitter.com/KP7AEJDSZe

— Caryma Sa'd - Lawyer + Cartoon Creator (@CarymaRules) September 24, 2021

According to an employee of the restaurant, the fire broke out while fryer oil was being transferred, triggering the building's sprinkler system.

#BREAKING The neighborhood smells of smoke at Duncan & Queen.

Firefighters are on scene. #TOpoli pic.twitter.com/6WEZsfgh5A

— Caryma Sa'd - Lawyer + Cartoon Creator (@CarymaRules) September 24, 2021

After failed attempts to control the flames with the kitchen's fire extinguisher, a 911 call was made.

Inside scoop from an employee who recounts what happened leading up to the fire at Rudy, one of my favourite burger joints.

Is it… normal to usually have a “bit of flame” when transferring oil? I’ve worked in kitchens but didn’t interact much with deep fryers.#TOpoli #TOfire pic.twitter.com/ECeSSopB9E

— Caryma Sa'd - Lawyer + Cartoon Creator (@CarymaRules) September 24, 2021

Firefighters could be seen furiously swinging axes on the restaurant's roof as heavy smoke poured from the opening they were cutting.

Watching @Toronto_Fire at work swinging axes on the roof of a restaurant at Queen & Duncan.

And here I thought the adrenaline of Zoom court this morning was intense.#TOpoli #TOfire @CityNews @CP24 @globalnewsto @CTVToronto @CBC_TOCommunity pic.twitter.com/VLsAe0CffN

— Caryma Sa'd - Lawyer + Cartoon Creator (@CarymaRules) September 24, 2021

While preferable to flames, firehoses also do a fair bit of damage to interiors, as seen in videos that show a wet slurry pouring out of Rudy's front entrance.

Just @Toronto_Fire, doing firefighter things. #TOpoli #TOfire pic.twitter.com/Pf7uUMEV10

— Caryma Sa'd - Lawyer + Cartoon Creator (@CarymaRules) September 24, 2021

At 12:51 p.m., Toronto Fire Services reported that the blaze had been extinguished, a fairly quick resolution just over two hours after the 911 call came in.

FIRE:
Richmond St + Queen St W
- fire has been extinguished
- no reports of injuries
- roads in area remain closed#GO1833849
^ep2

— Toronto Police Operations (@TPSOperations) September 24, 2021

Rudy's College location landed the top spot in our list of best burgers in Toronto, and its other locations — including Duncan Street — all rank high in the eyes of burger lovers.