“It appears it started outside, but we’re not quite sure yet,” Rigsby said. “...The fire did spread into the attic of the building.”
A freezer was outside the restaurant and crews believe the fire started somewhere near it, he added.
The restaurant’s manager was transported to the hospital and a firefighter was injured from a fall, Rigsby said.
The manager had gone back into the restaurant and was at the scene for about half an hour before crews convinced him to go to the hospital, the chief added.
People were inside the restaurant at the time of the fire. People were reportedly leaving as firefighters arrived.
A damage estimate was not available, but the building is not believed to be a total loss.
Rigsby noted the fire was spreading quickly, making things difficult for firefighters.
“The goal is obviously to protect property and we had an injury early on,” he said. “We went ahead and did that second alarm to make sure we had the proper equipment here to cover what we had.”
With 90-degree temperatures expected next week firefighters are planning ahead.
“When we get into this hot weather we’re more likely to call those alarms sooner just because of overheating,” Rigsby said. “...They overheat fairly rapidly so we do everything we can to protect them, make sure they’re hydrated and have replacements. We try to rotate them a lot sooner.”
The fire remains under investigation.
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