c/o Whey Station Facebook
The Whey Station food trucks caught fire at 12:01 a.m. on Tuesday, April 12 after the propane tanks in the trucks exploded, destroying them both. The two trucks were parked up against the south side of 180 Johnson St., and the fire caused secondary damage to the city-owned building and approximately $100,000 in losses.
After receiving a phone call reported the fire, the Middletown Fire Department (MFD) quickly arrived and extinguished the blaze.
“When the Middletown Fire Department arrived the Whey Station Food Truck and Trailer were fully involved in fire with the fire impinging on the building,” MFD Fire Chief Jay Woron wrote in an email to The Argus. “The Middletown Fire Department forced entry into the building to see if the fire extended. The fire was extinguished and is currently being investigated by the Middletown Fire Department Fire Marshal’s Office.”
In an interview with The Middletown Press, Woron explained that the fire went up the side of the building to the roof overhang on the wall, damaging expensive windows as well as other areas of the building. According to Woron, the fire was an abnormal occurrence for food trucks in Middletown.
“This type of fire is not typical for the food truck industry in Middletown,” Woron wrote. “The MFD recommends parking vehicles away from buildings. Ensure you have working fire extinguishers and keep any flammable materials away from potential ignition sources.”
The fire cost Whey Station between $60,000 and $70,000 in total to replace and upgrade the trucks. Nonetheless, Whey Station co-owner Josh Moskites is hopeful for the future of the business.
“[The MFD] worked fast to put out the flames and [we] appreciate their hard work but unfortunately it was too late and both are beyond repair,” the Whey Station posted on Facebook. “No one was injured thankfully. Not sure about the coming days but The Whey Station will be back at it [and it] will only be a matter of time.”
Some students were shocked to learn the news about Whey Station and hope the popular food truck will return soon.
“I was so sad to find out that they burned down, but curious as to why words never really got sound,” Dario Molina ’24 wrote in an email to The Argus. “I probably got Whey almost like once a week, typically on the weekends. I am super upset that it is gone, another late night food craving won’t be fulfilled. I think it was very underappreciated because no one thought to ask why, or share what happened, super underrated.”
Aaron Goldman ’23 echoed Molina’s fond memories of the food truck and was similarly upset about the news.
“I legitimately heard nothing about whey station burning down, really sad to hear.” Goldman wrote in an email to The Argus. “It is always sad when small businesses go through adversity, but this one is especially sad as whey station has been a special place characteristic to my Wesleyan experience. The best part of the truck was the memories of waiting for food with my friends. Also, it was easily the student body’s favorite food truck—I have no idea why it went away.”
Aaron Goldman has been a Copy Editor for The Argus.
Aris Dashiell can be reached at adashiell@wesleyan.edu.