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'LIKE A NIGHTMARE': Owner to restore, reopen Little Italy after kitchen fire (PHOTOS)
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FIRE DISTRICT ACCOUNT
The South Walton Fire District received a call at 5:23 a.m. Feb. 21 reporting a structure fire. SWFD crews from Station 2 arrived within minutes of the initial call at 50-1 Uptown Grayton Circle, Little Italy Restaurant.
Upon arrival SWFD crews encountered a single story commercial restaurant with heavy fire involvement. Adjacent to the restaurant was a two-story structure that also sustained fire damage. Despite the separate fires, SWFD crews were still able to knock down the flames and save the majority of the structures involved.
An additional unit (in close proximity) only sustained smoke damages. No one was present at any of the four units involved and no one was injured during this fire. SWFD crews had the fires under control within 35 minutes of the first arriving unit.
Investigators with the SWFD and the State of Florida Fire Marshal’s Office were not able to complete the investigation due to the unstable condition of the restaurant roof. Once the roof is secured, the investigation will continue and a cause and origin should be determined.
A fire at Little Italy Ristorante in Grayton Beach has put a halt to business at the restaurant — but not for long.
Though the fire gutted the kitchen area at about 5 a.m. Tuesday, co-owner Serghei Petrov already has the ball in motion to reopen the Italian eatery.
“It will probably take us three to four months to get it up and running,” said Petrov.
The fire caused extensive damage — with smoke and water damage, broken windows, and a caved-in roof — to the little restaurant and to the neighboring businesses.
“I heard the news by waking up at 6 o’clock in the morning, and looking at my cell phone. I had 15 to 20 missed calls and only one message,” said Petrov of the calls from ADT Security Services.
When Petrov arrived at Little Italy shortly thereafter, the fire was already out, but the damage was done.
“I walked in and saw everything crashed, and everything was all over the place,” said Petrov.
“It was like a nightmare to me. Thank God it wasn’t later, so nobody was in the restaurant,” he added. The surrounding businesses were also vacant at the time of the fire.
The fire started in the kitchen, but the cause is yet to be determined.
“We’re still investigating it,” said Sammy Sanchez with the South Walton Fire District. “We weren’t able to investigate it (Tuesday) because the roof was very unstable.”
The Italian restaurant opened March 8, 2011, in the Uptown Grayton shopping center. The eatery is renowned for its completely homemade lasagna, stone oven-baked pizzas, and in-house made ice cream.
Those who have not eaten at the restaurant need not worry, as repairs and renovations should be completed before summer is in full swing.
“(Tuesday) was bad. I couldn’t believe it,” said Petrov. “Luckily, we can get it fixed.”
