By The Californian |
LAKE ELSINORE ---- A kitchen fire at the Las Palmas restaurant in Lake Elsinore on Tuesday was no April Fools' joke.
The fire, sparked in the morning by a cooking oil flare-up, will force the temporary closure of the Mexican food eatery at 16779 Lakeshore Drive, said the owner, Jimmy Flores, a member of the Lake Elsinore Planning Commission.
Flores, talking about the fire at the end of Tuesday's commission meeting, said people thought he was joking when he called this morning to report the fire.
"I called people and they hung up on me," he said.
The fire department took the call seriously, however, and made sure there were no lingering embers that could threaten the entire building, which is worth an estimated $800,000.
Fire Chief Jerry Hendershot said there was about $2,000 in damage.
The fire was largely out, snuffed by the restaurant's hood and duct extinguisher system, by the time firefighters arrived on the scene, Hendershot said. Those systems, which dump fire retardants on a fire, are required in restaurants and commercial kitchens.
Flores thanked the firefighters for their quick response, crediting them for saving his life.
"Had I stayed, I wouldn't be here today," he said.
Flores, covered with "dry chem" and surrounded by smoke, was using a water glass to stop the fire from spreading to a wall when firefighters arrived and took over.
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