Tiny's Restaurant reopens after fire outside eatery

Aug. 17—When JR Palermo saw the restaurant his family has owned for 75 years going up in smoke, instincts kicked in.

Palermo said he arrived at Tiny's Restaurant & Lounge at the same time firetrucks got there to douse the flames engulfing the exterior of the building.

He went into the restaurant's inside patio area and grabbed a hose.

He said he did it to protect everything he has.

"That's just a survival-of-the-fittest kind of thing," Palermo said. "I've got to do everything in my power to stop [the fire] in its tracks."

The outside of Tiny's — which has been operating since 1947 — caught fire late Monday afternoon, Santa Fe Fire Department Chief Brian Moya said. The blaze was extinguished within 15 minutes, with damage limited to the exterior.

"Nothing got internal — or inside," Moya said.

The cause of the fire is under investigation, he added, saying he hopes to have more information within the next 10 days.

Palermo, who was asked by officials to leave the restaurant, said the fire started during a lull in business and guessed at most five people would have been dining at the time.

As for what started the fire, Palermo said he has a "gut feeling" someone who was homeless may be culpable.

Vegetation around the restaurant was dry and brittle, he said, and could have caught fire with ease.

"Whether or not it was intentionally set by a lighter, or accidentally set with someone's smoldering cigarette, doesn't change the fact that it still caught on fire," Palermo said.

Tiny's reopened Tuesday morning with a typical lunch rush and few signs a fire had shut the restaurant down for a time.

But on the left side of the establishment, Palermo could be seen working on the damaged exterior.