Residents hold candlelight vigil for a Taco Bell that burned down

Taco Bell Menu Items, Headquarters And Restaurant Shoot
Getty Images | Joshua Blanchard

Some people take their fast food pretty seriously. From this Indiana couple who got married at a White Castle to a Thanksgiving feast made from fast food favorites, it’s clear that fast food is more than just a quick and convenient way to grab a bite to eat. So maybe we shouldn’t be surprised that some people in Montgomery, Alabama, were just so heartbroken when their local Taco Bell burned down that they held an actual candlelight vigil to mourn their loss.

We can’t make this up! The restaurant partially collapsed after catching fire on January 17, a blaze that investigators believe began in a small room holding electrical distribution equipment. Fortunately, no one was injured.

When fans heard about the tragic incident, however, they decided to mobilize and pay their respects. Katie James created a Facebook event, encouraging people to bring their own candle for a memorial service. James was inspired to go through with the quirky event in honor of her roommate, Russell Dowis.

“He works long shifts, sometimes 14 hours a day. His go-to foods are McDonald’s and Taco Bell. He’s a fast food guy,” James told Montgomery Adviser. “I came home and said, ‘Russell, what’s wrong?’ He was like, ‘Man, the Taco Bell on Zelda burned down.’ I was like, ‘What?’ and he was like ‘Yeah!’ And I said, ‘We should hold a memorial for it.’ He said, ‘Oh my gosh, we should do a candlelight vigil.’ And then he moved on about his life, and didn’t think nothing about it. I, in about 10 minutes after that conversation, made a Facebook event, and titled it ‘Candle light vigil for Taco Bell.'”

The idea caught on, and more than 100 people came out to mourn the loss of their beloved fast food joint. Check out this footage of the event below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVgUoxMbtrg

“I’ve had a lot of memories created at Taco Bell,” local resident and comedian Ashley Nicole Portis told AL.com. “I was a theater major and we had long, long rehearsal nights. It was extremely taxing, and you don’t always have time to eat. You miss the cafeteria, it closes early. In Montgomery, everything else closes early.”

Hopefully this community gets an up-and-running Taco Bell again very soon!

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About the Author
Kate Streit
Kate Streit lives in Chicago. She enjoys stand-up comedy, mystery novels, memoirs, summer and pumpkin spice anything.

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