Update: Lumberjacks restaurant in Redding reopens after small fire
Update: Lumberjack's restaurant in Redding is now open for business, according to staff.
Lumberjacks in Redding closed Saturday after a small kitchen fire late Friday night. The restaurant was back open Sunday.
The tiny blaze generated a lot of smoke, but "the fire was extremely minimal, with just the griddle and part of the hood" affected, said fire investigator Guido Concello with the Redding Fire Department.
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The fire started between 11 p.m. and 11:30 p.m., after the restaurant closed.
No one was in the building at the time of the fire, and no one was hurt, Lumberjacks general manager Stephanie Vega said.
It "appeared" the griddle was left on, Concello said. However, a technician who inspected the kitchen Saturday morning concluded the fire was caused by a mechanical error with the griddle, Vega said.
While the damage was minimal, the griddle fire and the extinguishing of it made a mess. That needs to be cleaned up and an inspector needs to check the kitchen before the restaurant can reopen, Concello said.
Restaurant staff, who were busy scrubbing the kitchen Saturday morning, said they were optimistic they’d be able to reopen the restaurant over the weekend. "We’re taking extra precautions as far as cleaning surfaces, just to ensure employees’ and the public's safety," Vega said. “We need to be certain that everything is working at 100%, and safety" before we open again.
While she didn't know the hour when the restaurant would reopen, Vega said staff were aiming for Sunday.
The restaurant at the corner of East Cypress Avenue and Bechelli Lane is a popular spot for American comfort food. It's Saturday morning breakfast crowd often lines up out its doors into the parking lot next to Office Depot.
Weekends are peak times for Lumberjacks, Vega said.
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Between Friday night and Saturday morning, Lumberjacks' Facebook account was deluged by customers wanting to know when the restaurant would reopen and if anyone was hurt, staff said.
“I know there are a lot of rumors about the seriousness of it (the fire)," Vega said. “We just want the public to know we appreciate everybody’s outpouring of concerns. We thank the Redding Fire Department and Redding Police Department for their quick response.”
Jessica Skropanic is a features reporter for the Record Searchlight/USA Today Network. She covers science, arts, social issues and entertainment stories. Follow her on Twitter @RS_JSkropanic and on Facebook. Join Jessica in the Get Out! Nor Cal recreation Facebook group. To support and sustain this work, please subscribe today. Thank you.
This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: Lumberjacks restaurant in Redding reopens after small fire Friday
