Tony’s Donuts in Hazelwood closed after Christmas fire

Kelley Hoskins

Fri, December 26, 2025 at 11:40 PM UTC

2 min read

HAZELWOOD, Mo. – A Christmas night fire caused heavy damage at Tony’s Donuts, forcing the well-known Hazelwood donut shop to close for repairs.

Firefighters say no one was hurt, but Tony’s Donuts and Café is now closed as investigators work to determine what caused the fire.

“It’s been hard to process [and] wrap my head around it,” said Kathleen Badra, owner of Tony’s Donuts in Hazelwood. Firefighters responded to Tony’s late Christmas night, where crews encountered heavy smoke coming from the building.“It’s just it’s heartbreaking. It’s really tough,” said Badra. “It’s been a part of my life since I was practically a baby. So that’s all I know. I’m thankful that we have this store, so we have a place for our Hazelwood community to come out and come here.” Fire officials say the interior suffered extensive smoke and water damage.

Retailers and restaurants that have already announced closures for 2026

“I was very sad on Christmas Day,” said Badra. “We were actually closed that day, [one of few] closed days out of the year and that was one of them. Luckily, nobody was there and nobody was hurt.” Tony’s Donuts and Café has been family-owned since 1995, serving generations of families. The owners say the Hazelwood location will remain closed as repairs begin, but their Maryland Heights location on Dorsett Road remains open. “We’ve never been through something like this after all these years, so we’re just trying to learn like what to do and how to keep our employees able to still be a part of our Tony’s family,” said Badra.Customers say Tony’s is more than a place to grab donuts. It’s a neighborhood staple. “I wanted to get some donuts this morning, but I heard that it kind of caught fire last night,” said Laura Reubbelke. “I just had to find out if it was true and pretty sad. Really good donuts here are really good sandwiches. They’re the best.”

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“We raved about how amazing Tony’s was, and we actually learned when we were ordering that they had a fire yesterday, which is so sad to hear,” said Justin Louis. “My first time here, it was amazing.” “I just didn’t think it was that extensive. From the outside, the building looks perfect and when you walk inside, it’s everything’s damaged. There’s no salvaging anything. So we just have to gut it and rebuild it,” said Badra. A GoFundMe has been launched to help employees cover lost wages during the closure.

Fire officials tell FOX 2 that cause of the fire remains under investigation.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 2.

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