McDonald’s closing to fix damage after fire
Published 5:00 am Tuesday, April 9, 2002
A Sunday night fire caused a Brookhaven restaurant to have toshut its doors for a few weeks.
After a fire broke out in a back room Sunday, the 26-year-oldMcDonald’s building on Brookway Boulevard suffered enough damage tocause it to shut down, said Brookhaven Fire Chief PaulCartwright.
“There was 25 percent damage to the building and 30 percentdamage to the contents,” he said.
Eric Harkey, owner of the restaurant, said it would be closedfor three-four weeks for repairs and improvements.
“We’re going to essentially rebuild the interior of the store.We’re going to be back bigger and better than ever,” saidHarkey.
He added that some new equipment had already been ordered andthe store would have to be rewired.
Harkey said the fire is believed to be a result of “faultywiring.”
It started around 7:55 p.m. Sunday when smoke was detected inthe building and sparks were seen coming from an electrical box,according to the fire department report. The business had alsoreported smoke in the building after an electrical shortageSaturday night.
Harkey said he was glad no customers or employees were injuredin the incidents. He commended his employees for handling thesituation properly.
He has already secured the services of a construction crew andhopes the building will be in good condition soon.
“We’re sorry for the inconvenience to our customers. We willre-open as soon as we get everything back in order,” saidHarkey.