Ted Aurora is optimistic despite the fact his restaurant, Cartucci’s, had a large kitchen fire overnight, shutting down the restaurant for possibly a month. Aurora took over ownership two years ago. The restaurant has been in business for seven years and is on East Fisher Street, next to Watkins Fitness.
Fire crews found smoke coming from an exhaust vent near the back of restaurant. The front of the restaurant, though smoky, has no apparent fire damage. Firefighters placed tarps over the front counter, bar and tables inside the restaurant and for that, Aurora is grateful. He believes the tarps contributed to the minimal damage of his equipment and tables.
He suspects it will be a month before the restaurant is up and ready, but wants to re-open as soon as possible.
There were five employees at the restaurant at the time, Aurora said, and one person who was training. He said contrary to reports of an explosion, there was none. It was an electrical surge that blew out lights in the restaurant. Firefighters had to knock down a wall into the next building, Watkins Fitness, to ensure there was no fire inside it. Other businesses on East Fisher had to evacuate while fire crews from multiple stations responded to the fire. The fire began around 5 p.m.; within an hour, crews had knocked down the fire. Aurora is waiting for an insurance adjuster to determine the damage. The building is owned by Helen Watkins, who said she is also waiting for an insurance adjuster to assess the damage. See more in Thursday’s Post.