Grant
Administrator
Fire damages Sonic restaurant
by jason lee, the southern
CARBONDALE - A small fire damaged the exterior of a Sonic restaurant Tuesday afternoon in Carbondale, forcing the fast-food drive-in to temporarily close.
At about 2:20 p.m., a customer spotted flames and smoke billowing out of the building and alerted the staff, said Rocky Johnson, the restaurant's general manager.
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Carbondale fire personnel were on scene within minutes and were able to minimize the damage, Johnson said.
"They got here really fast," he said.
Minutes earlier, a small amount of smoke had entered the main cooking area, but Johnson said the Sonic crew assumed it was the result of a disabled ventilation system.
"Our vent system has been down, so we thought that's what it was," he said. "But then a customer came in and said there were flames coming out of the building."
The staff evacuated as fire personnel worked to snuff out the flames and remove some of the damaged siding.
Assistant Fire Chief Ted Lomax said the cause of the fire was undetermined, but could have been triggered by a faulty electrical transformer.
Lomax said the interior of the restaurant suffered only minor water damage.
Johnson said he expected the restaurant to reopen today.
"We're supposed to get remodeled next year, so this will probably move it forward," he said.
by jason lee, the southern
CARBONDALE - A small fire damaged the exterior of a Sonic restaurant Tuesday afternoon in Carbondale, forcing the fast-food drive-in to temporarily close.
At about 2:20 p.m., a customer spotted flames and smoke billowing out of the building and alerted the staff, said Rocky Johnson, the restaurant's general manager.
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Carbondale fire personnel were on scene within minutes and were able to minimize the damage, Johnson said.
"They got here really fast," he said.
Minutes earlier, a small amount of smoke had entered the main cooking area, but Johnson said the Sonic crew assumed it was the result of a disabled ventilation system.
"Our vent system has been down, so we thought that's what it was," he said. "But then a customer came in and said there were flames coming out of the building."
The staff evacuated as fire personnel worked to snuff out the flames and remove some of the damaged siding.
Assistant Fire Chief Ted Lomax said the cause of the fire was undetermined, but could have been triggered by a faulty electrical transformer.
Lomax said the interior of the restaurant suffered only minor water damage.
Johnson said he expected the restaurant to reopen today.
"We're supposed to get remodeled next year, so this will probably move it forward," he said.