Crime & Safety

Lightning Suspected as Cause of Fire at Southern Belle's

Fire damage limited to the roof, but water damage is extensive, assistant fire chief says.

A lightning strike at the peak of Thursday morning's thunderstorm is the suspected cause of a roof fire at Southern Belle's Restaurant and Pancake House.

While the fire was limited to the roof and attic over the restaurant's kitchen and storage area, water damage from interior sprinklers and fire department hoses was fairly extensive at the 2-month-old business at Lockport Street and Route 59, Plainfield Assistant Fire Chief Larry Morse said.

Indications are that lightning hit the restaurant's roof sometime in the early morning hours, Morse said. The call to the Plainfield Fire Protection District came in at about 2:30 a.m., he said.

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Owner Steve Fotos, who was helping clean up the restaurant Thursday afternoon, said he learned of the blaze when fire officials contacted him at his Downers Grove home. It was still under way when he arrived, he said.

"It's not good; I'm not too happy," Fotos said.

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The Will County Health Department has inspected the restaurant, and all of the kitchen's food supplies and many other items will have to be thrown away before an industrial cleaning company can be called in, he said. He expects he will be having employees helping with the process all weekend in the hope that they might be able to reopen early next week.

The restaurant was insured so most of the loss will be covered, Fotos said.

Because of the location of the fire, crews had to fight it from both the inside and outside, Morse said. He estimated the damage at about $50,000.

"It's just such a shame since it just opened up," Morse said. "The (village) building department has been out there assessing the damage."

The 5,500-square-foot restaurant, able to seat up to about 200 patrons, opened in April. Crews were still working on the outdoor patio area and landscaping this week.

Fotos, who owns four other Southern Belle's restaurants, said he knows he was lucky in that the fire was limited to just one portion of the roof.

"The fire department did a good job," he said. "The took control of (the fire) right away."


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