Fire strikes Viking Grill & Lounge in Ellison Bay
The owner of the Viking Grill & Lounge in Ellison Bay says the goal now is to reopen as usual in April, after a devastating kitchen fire that closed the restaurant Wednesday.
"We usually are closed in January, February and March," Dan Peterson said Friday. "We had the insurance adjuster in (Thursday), and we're working to get the restoration lined up. The hope is to be back up and running the beginning of April, when we'd usually open again."
Wisconsin 42 through Ellison Bay was blocked for several hours Wednesday after the smoky fire broke out shortly before 2:30 p.m. All mainland Northern Door fire departments responded to the call.
"If you write anything, I want you to write a thank you to all of the fire departments in Northern Door — and the EMS people, too," Peterson said. "All those guys were so great. They stuck around, they hauled things for me. I can't thank them enough; they were just outstanding."
The outpouring of support from friends and neighbors also touched Peterson.
"I just can't believe how the people in this community have stopped by to wish us well," he said.
There was some hope the restaurant could still stage its popular fish boils outside, but that wouldn't be practical, Peterson said.
"We have no electricity, no stoves," he said.
Chris Hecht, the Sister Bay/Liberty Grove fire chief, said the kitchen was fully engulfed, with flames coming from doors and windows when crews arrived shortly after 2:30 p.m.
No injuries were reported.
"With the various additions to the restaurant, there were a lot of small areas we had to get into," Hecht said. "We worked it hard and aggressively and brought it under control in about 20 minutes.
The cause of the blaze is undetermined, but Hecht and Peterson both said it apparently began in a grease fryer. A kitchen worker responded immediately, Peterson said.
"He thought he'd extinguished it, but it flared back up," he said. A back-up fire suppression system failed.
Hecht described the damage to the kitchen as heavy, with light smoke and water damage to the dining area and bar.
Well known for its nightly fish boils as well as its breakfast, lunch and dinner fare, the Viking is prominently featured in the movie "Feed the Fish" with Tony Shalhoub, which was filmed in Door County in early 2009.
The Sister Bay/Liberty Grove department got help from the Egg Harbor, Ephraim, Gibraltar, Baileys Harbor and Jacksonport fire departments.
"I can't say enough about our mutual aid departments," Hecht said. "Our most precious resource is the one we're shortest of, and that's manpower. They're a great help."
Cleaning Commercial Kitchen Exhaust Systems Since 1971
5734 Bankfield Avenue
Culver City, California 90230
310-636-8361 x 203
Grant Mogford
The owner of the Viking Grill & Lounge in Ellison Bay says the goal now is to reopen as usual in April, after a devastating kitchen fire that closed the restaurant Wednesday.
"We usually are closed in January, February and March," Dan Peterson said Friday. "We had the insurance adjuster in (Thursday), and we're working to get the restoration lined up. The hope is to be back up and running the beginning of April, when we'd usually open again."
Wisconsin 42 through Ellison Bay was blocked for several hours Wednesday after the smoky fire broke out shortly before 2:30 p.m. All mainland Northern Door fire departments responded to the call.
"If you write anything, I want you to write a thank you to all of the fire departments in Northern Door — and the EMS people, too," Peterson said. "All those guys were so great. They stuck around, they hauled things for me. I can't thank them enough; they were just outstanding."
The outpouring of support from friends and neighbors also touched Peterson.
"I just can't believe how the people in this community have stopped by to wish us well," he said.
There was some hope the restaurant could still stage its popular fish boils outside, but that wouldn't be practical, Peterson said.
"We have no electricity, no stoves," he said.
Chris Hecht, the Sister Bay/Liberty Grove fire chief, said the kitchen was fully engulfed, with flames coming from doors and windows when crews arrived shortly after 2:30 p.m.
No injuries were reported.
"With the various additions to the restaurant, there were a lot of small areas we had to get into," Hecht said. "We worked it hard and aggressively and brought it under control in about 20 minutes.
The cause of the blaze is undetermined, but Hecht and Peterson both said it apparently began in a grease fryer. A kitchen worker responded immediately, Peterson said.
"He thought he'd extinguished it, but it flared back up," he said. A back-up fire suppression system failed.
Hecht described the damage to the kitchen as heavy, with light smoke and water damage to the dining area and bar.
Well known for its nightly fish boils as well as its breakfast, lunch and dinner fare, the Viking is prominently featured in the movie "Feed the Fish" with Tony Shalhoub, which was filmed in Door County in early 2009.
The Sister Bay/Liberty Grove department got help from the Egg Harbor, Ephraim, Gibraltar, Baileys Harbor and Jacksonport fire departments.
"I can't say enough about our mutual aid departments," Hecht said. "Our most precious resource is the one we're shortest of, and that's manpower. They're a great help."
Cleaning Commercial Kitchen Exhaust Systems Since 1971
5734 Bankfield Avenue
Culver City, California 90230
310-636-8361 x 203
Grant Mogford
