When will Hatch, Broadway 10 reopen after a fire this week? What we know
The doors to Broadway 10 Bar & Chophouse, 1101 N Broadway Ave., stood open Thursday as wires and hoses crisscrossed the floor. Fans whirred as they circulated the air, drying moisture from the floors and working to push the remaining traces of acrid smoke from the space. Fire suppression hoses still dangled from the inside of a charred vent hood as workers began the task of restoring the restaurant to working order.
Just 24 hours had passed since the Oklahoma City Fire Department responded to a commercial fire alarm at the historic Buick Building in downtown. The building is home to both Broadway 10 and Hatch Early Mood Food, both Provision Concepts restaurants.
"Most everyone on social thought it was Hatch because, naturally, the smoke was on Hatch’s roof,” said Jeff Dixon, founder and CEO of Provision Concepts. “But the way this building is, it’s a 100-year-old building, four stories up, built in the ‘20s, and our kitchen ventilation goes up, through Hatch’s space and goes out on their roof. It would be difficult to get the ventilation four stories high.”
When will Hatch and Broadway 10 reopen?
Hatch is set to reopen at 6 a.m. Friday, however Broadway 10 is in for a more significant closure, Dixon said.
“I'm pushing my contractor to get this done in 60 days, and I will know much more after my insurance adjuster shows up,” Dixon said.
Right now, the goal is to complete repairs and reopen by Nov. 1.
More: OKC Fire responds to kitchen fire at Buick building, which houses several restaurants
What do we know about the fire at Broadway 10?
It was just after 2 p.m. Wednesday when one of Broadway 10’s cooks heard a strange noise while using the restaurant’s wood burning grill, Dixon said. Upon further investigation, the cook discovered a fire had broken out within the ventilation system.
“He tried to grab an extinguisher and help,” Dixon said. “By then, it had started to fall and flames were coming down. He obviously was like, you know, it was pretty scary.”
Dixon credits his cook's quick thinking and the quick response of the city’s firefighters for the reduced severity of the fire.
“Thankfully, the fire department actually noticed the fire before we even called. They were driving by and they saw smoke and they got on their own internal horn and corralled the wagons,” he said. “They obviously instantly saw which fan was smoking and dumped half of Lake Hefner in it and put out the fire.”
What damage did the fire cause?
Because the fire was fairly well contained and restoration crews responded quickly, the restaurant was able to limit some of the damage it sustained.
“The damage to the restaurant is some smoke, and it's water,” Dixon said. “The damage is water. So yesterday, when they finally let us in after they did their investigation and ruled it accidental, we walked in this restaurant and all the way to the other opposite end — water.”
The water was pumped through the rooftop vent into the restaurant, he said which caused some flooding to both the ground and second floor areas. A small amount of water also leaked into Hatch, leading to its closure for the day on Thursday for cleanup.
Before the day ended Wednesday, Dixon already had spoken to his insurance company, restoration teams and construction crews about beginning the work to reopen. Despite the unexpected event, Dixon remains in good spirits, thankful for the ability to rebuild and come back.
“Thankfully no one was hurt. Thankfully, we have great systems in place with the community — the fire alarm did its job, certain vendors they can do the job — what a blessing,” he said.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Broadway 10 Bar & Chophouse sets tentative reopening date after fire
