Kitchen fire damages Hurricane Restaurant in Kennebunkport’s Dock Square

KENNEBUNKPORT, Maine — A pot still left boiling right away on a gas-vary stove is thought to have sparked a hearth that ripped by way of section of the kitchen area at Hurricane Cafe in Dock Sq. on May possibly 26.

“It just boiled the drinking water out and heated the pot,” explained Kennebunkport Fireplace Chief John Everett, moments following firefighters cleared the scene close to 9:45 a.m.

Everett motioned to the pot, which sat, partly melted, amid other debris on the pavement of the parking lot at the rear of the cafe. Large, charred bones, which had been in the method of getting boiled for inventory, could be noticed within the pot.

“Aluminum will soften at, I consider, 1,200 levels,” Everett additional.

Everett was quite considerably on concentrate on: in accordance to Onlinemetals.com, aluminum commences to soften at 1,220 levels Fahrenheit.

Everett stated there were being two individuals inside of the cafe who identified as the Fireplace Section after they found out a fire experienced started. 1 firefighter – Everett, himself – was already on the way, as he observed smoke billowing from the restaurant as he turned on to Western Avenue from Cooper’s Corner on his way to get the job done at a small soon after 8 a.m. on Thursday early morning.

“Fortunately, no a single was damage,” Everett stated.

The fire was reasonably contained, with flames and smoke climbing from the stove, slipping into the wall room driving it, mounting into the attic, and escaping from a vent earlier mentioned, in accordance to Everett.

“Fortunately, considering that it had a path, it didn’t tremendous-warmth anything on its way out,” Everett said. “The fireplace fairly significantly stayed in the wall. There was not quite considerably fireplace injury up in the attic.”

The hearth, although short and contained, transpired at a crucial time in the neighborhood cafe small business, as Memorial Day weekend, typically the start of summer season and the vacationer season below in coastal Maine, approaches.

Everett claimed the precise time the fireplace begun is not known. He mentioned the previous staff left the cafe on Wednesday night sometime in between 10 and 10:30 p.m. He mentioned, however, that if the flames experienced commenced even previously than they apparently did – say, at 4 a.m. or so – then the complete roof could have caught fireplace.

Tale continues

The restaurant’s eating home and places of work were not weakened in the incident, in accordance to Everett. The building will need a “good cleaning,” having said that, he extra.

In battling the flames, firefighters had to “pull out” a part of the ceiling in the kitchen area and some of the wall behind the stove, Everett reported. In truth, a hole could be witnessed in the exterior on just one facet of the cafe.

The Kennebunk Fireplace Section assisted with an engine at the scene, Everett claimed.

Deputy Code Enforcement Officer Andrew Welch worked with Taylor Benetti, the owner of the cafe, to get the premises back again up to code so it could reopen. The restaurant reopened for enterprise on Saturday, May perhaps 28, according to it Facebook web site.

Benetti could not be achieved for remark.

Hurricane Restaurant is just just one of quite a few buildings that are in near proximity to each and every other in historic Dock Square. Referring to that proximity, Everett spoke with relief when describing how the Hurricane fireplace had been brief and contained.

“If we can retain it in the developing of origin, in this region, we’re undertaking very good,” he mentioned.

Everett stated there was some “good luck” included this time about, provided workforce had arrived in time to capture the fire and Everett himself had seen the smoke from a limited distance.

“That it was continue to in the levels that it was in was great for us,” he reported.

This short article at first appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Hurricane Cafe in Kennebunkport ME weakened by kitchen hearth