AMHERST — An oven left on overnight at Johnny’s Tavern caused a small fire inside the restaurant that was quickly extinguished Saturday morning.
Assistant Fire Chief Lindsay Stromgren said firefighters were alerted at 9:25 a.m. by a neighbor who noticed smoke coming from the roof of 30 Boltwood Walk. About a minute later, the alarm company called to report a fire alarm from Johnny’s Tavern, he said.
Upon arrival, Stromgren said, fire crews noticed smoke inside the restaurant. Firefighters saw flames inside the kitchen extending from a commercial oven when they entered and quickly extinguished the blaze using dry chemical fire extinguishers, he said.
Fire damage was confined to the oven itself so there was no damage to the building, though the restaurant will need “significant cleaning” due to the smoke and the extinguishing powder, according to Stromgren. He did not have an monetary estimate on the damage.
The business was not open and no one was injured, he said. Stromgren said food was purposefully kept in the oven overnight, which is apparently done often at Johnny’s Tavern to make ribs.
After extinguishing the fire, crews checked adjoining rooms and businesses, and found no fire spread, Stromgren said.
The business owner was on scene, he said, and was discussing with the town’s health inspector what the business needed to do to reopen.
“It sounded like it was achievable either today or tomorrow,” Stromgren said Saturday.
Michael Connors can be reached at mconnors@gazettenet.com.