A popular local restaurant has been temporarily closed after a fire early Thursday morning. No one was injured in the blaze.
A fire was reported by off-duty firefighter Marvin Harrison at 8:14 a.m. at Gardner’s Barbecue at 3651 Sunset Avenue. Rocky Mount firefighters put out the fire, which had been contained to the restaurant’s exhaust system.
Chief J.C. Vaughan said two employees were inside the restaurant at the time of the blaze. A preliminary investigation indicated the fire started in one of the restaurant’s fryers.
Vaughan said one of the employees went to extinguish the fire when it entered the restaurant’s ventilation system. About 14 minutes passed between time of the call and when the blaze was extinguished.
“That’s the perfect time” he said of the response.
Patesha Neville, one of the two employees inside the restaurant at the time, said her first thought when the fire broke out was, “We’ve got to get out of here.” She said she has been working at the restaurant for six years and there has never been a fire at the restaurant in that time.