Fire Damages La Grange Park Restaurant

La Grange IL

27 January, 2022

9:32 AM

Description

LA GRANGE PARK, IL — An fire damaged a La Grange Park restaurant early Thursday morning, apparently related to unattended cooking, an official said. The La Grange Park Fire Department was notified by a fire alarm system at 1:15 a.m. at Golden Wok Restaurant, 1122 Maple Ave. "Once we got there, we had black smoke coming through vents in the roof," Fire Chief Dean Maggos said in an interview. "When we got inside, we found a fire burning in the kitchen near the cooking equipment. Firefighters initially deployed hose lines, but then were able to contain the fire using fire extinguishers." The fire department estimated the damage at $5,000, with the blaze spreading beyond the cooking equipment to plastic buckets, Maggos said. No one was reported injured. The damage was limited, he said, because of the fire alarm system and firefighters' quick entry into the building. "We were lucky to limit the damage," he said. Maggos said the cause has not been determined. But he said the fire appears to be related to unattended cooking. "They left some stuff cooking overnight," he said. The fire call was about five hours after the restaurant closed for the night. Asked whether overnight cooking was a usual practice at restaurants, Maggos said it wasn't "completely normal," but some restaurants do it. He said he expected the restaurant to reopen soon. The Brookfield Fire Department and several other departments also responded. Golden Wok couldn't be reached for immediate comment Thursday morning.