Fazoli’s closes after minor fire Monday morning

Update: According to an employee at the Fazoli’s, the restaurant may be closed two to three weeks.

Jasper — A fire at the Fazoli’s in Jasper temporarily closed the restaurant after the building was damaged near its southeast entrance.

Jasper Volunteer Fire Department responded to the fire at 703 Third Avenue at 8:06 a.m. on Monday. According to authorities, employees smelled smoke and discovered the fire inside an exterior wall near that entrance.

According to Jasper Fire Chief Kenny Hochgesang, it appeared that a cigarette had caught the exterior of the building on fire and it travelled through the interior cavities of the exterior wall. “It had a chimney-effect and it traveled up through the wall so we had to pull exterior portions from the wall to make sure we had taken care of the fire,” he explained.

The southeast entrance is not usable at this time due to exposed electrical wiring but Hochgesang spoke with the State Fire Marshal’s office and confirmed the restaurant, which has two entrances, could operate with only one entrance if it kept occupancy below 50 (49 or less).

Five trucks and 32 firefighters responded to the scene and were there over an hour ensuring the fire was completely suppressed.

Authorities estimated damages at $7,000.

Managers plan to reopen the restaurant midweek.