Fire tears through family-owned restaurant along Cheshire Bridge Road
ATLANTA - A fire erupted at a popular Cheshire Bridge Road restaurant Monday evening less than a week after a fire shut down the roadway.
Firefighters were called Las Margaritas located in the 1800 block of Cheshire Bridge Road in Atlanta. Fire officials said the call originally came in as a grass fire, but firefighters arrived they found the restaurant fully involved and called for more units to assist.
Nearly three dozen firefighters worked to combat the blaze which could be seen on video shooting out of the building. Firefighters said they were able to quickly knock the fire down.
"Upon arrival of our units, we immediately began an aggressive fire attack on the building. We were quickly able to get the fire knocked down. No injuries. And right now, the scene is still under investigation," said Battalion Chief Jason McLain, Atlanta Fire Rescue Department.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
"We're not exactly sure of the source of the origin of the fire, that's still under investigation, so it's hard to say if it started exterior or on the inside," said McLain.
Fire investigators are hoping that security video at the restaurant will give a good indication as to the cause.
The owners of the restaurant said their family started the business about 20 years ago and they are in shock.
"We of course are all in awe, you know, it's a family establishment, it's been in the community for over 20 years, it's a staple to the community, lots of people have... you know, everybody flocks here all the time, and it's just devastating," said Michele Michael Petties, the sister of one of the owners.
The family-owned restaurant is usually closed on Mondays, so no one was inside.
"It’s devastating for everybody. My children not only grew up in this restaurant, but they worked here as servers in their teenage years, you know we’ve been around as a family, all of us that are out here tonight, we’ve been around as a family and we’re going to support each other," Petties said.
The family said about 15 to 20 people work at the restaurant.
Firefighters said the building sustained significant damage but was not a total loss.
Family members said they will rebuild if they have the opportunity to do so and the "LA-LA-LAs will continue."
"We will rebuild if we have an opportunity to do so because we love this place," Petties said.
There were no reports of injuries.
Traffic in the area was shut down for a time to allow for firefighters and their equipment to extinguish the blaze.
The fire happened less than a mile from the scene of last week’s gas line fire which happened under the bridge over Peachtree Creek.
The road remained closed at the bridge because of the fire.
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