A fire late Monday afternoon damaged the kitchen of a Kewanee restaurant.
The Kewanee Fire Department was called to Pasquale’s Pizzeria at 401 Tenney St. after a fire was apparently called in by a passing motorist, according to a fire department spokesman.
According to a news release issued Tuesday by Fire Chief Stephen Welgat, crews arrived on scene to find a two-story commercial property containing multiple businesses with black smoke emanating from the doorway and eaves of Pasquale’s Pizzeria.
Fire crews entered the business and encountered extreme temperatures and heavy smoke conditions, the news release said. Crews were able to locate the fire in the kitchen within minutes and extinguish the flames.
The pizzeria was not open at the time, and no staff were in the building.
Fire crews were on scene for two hours, the news release said. The pizzeria sustained heavy fire and smoke damage, and the other businesses in the building sustained smoke damage as a result of the fire. There were no injuries to the public or any fire personnel.
According to the news release, Kewanee Fire Department fire investigators, in conjunction with the Illinois Office of the State Fire Marshall and Kewanee Police Department, are investigating to determine the cause of the fire, which was not immediately obvious.
The Kewanee Fire Department was assisted by the Kewanee Police Department, the Henry County Sheriff’s Office, The Kewanee Community Fire Protection District and Ameren gas and electric divisions, the news release said.
In a social media post Monday evening, the owner of Pasquale’s, Stephen Mazzarise, thanked everyone who had reached out to them.
“We are working with the authorities and will update you on the opening when we can.”
