Arson suspected in fire at iconic Orlando ice cream shop
A fire that nearly destroyed Goff ’s Drive-In in the Parramore neighborhood Friday morning is being investigated as arson by the Orlando Fire Department, which would mark the second time this month the iconic ice cream shop was attacked.
The fire took place at 6:13 a.m. Friday, which OFD’s arson/ bomb squad said was intentionally set, spokesperson Ashley Papagni said. Details on what might have triggered the fire have not been released.
“Evidence has been collected at the scene, including video surveillance that is being reviewed and lab testing that is being conducted,” Papagni said in a statement. Anyone with information on the fire is asked to contact Crimeline at 800-423-8477.
Todd Peacock, owner of Goff ’s, created a GoFundMe page to raise $10,000 to pay for a temporary location while its historic location near the corner of Orange Blossom Trail and Church Street is repaired.
On May 4, the company shared on its Facebook page a photo of a man caught on surveillance video “planting what appears to have been an explosive,” offering a reward for anyone who could identify him.
Peacock posted about the Friday morning fire, announcing the shop was closed.
“For the second time in two weeks, someone has tried to destroy the heart and love that this building represents. We don’t know the malicious intentions but we know God is in control,” the post said.
The shop, then called the Creamette, was bombed in 1951, about three years after it opened, in what was long suspected by the FBI to be an attack by the Ku Klux Klan for serving white and Black customers. No arrests were ever made.