Fire Closes Popular Lafayette Restaurant After Electrical Malfunction

LAFAYETTE, La. (KPEL News) — An electrical fire at a Lafayette Mexican restaurant could have been much worse.

A driver passing by Pedro's Tacos & Tequila Bar on Ambassador Caffery in Lafayette noticed flames coming from the rooftop and decided to alert the restaurant. The quick action enabled staff to evacuate approximately 20 customers who were being served at the time and call 9-1-1.

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According to the Lafayette Fire Department, the fire broke out at approximately 6:21 p.m. at the restaurant located at 3323 Ambassador Caffery. Lafayette Fire Department crews received multiple emergency calls and arrived on scene within five minutes of dispatch. First responders found flames emerging from the front section of the roof.

To fight the blaze, emergency crews go to the rooftop and successfully extinguished the fire, which appears to have caused substantial damage to the area. The restaurant's interior sustained water and smoke damage as a result of firefighting operations.

READ MORE: Emergency Responders Fighting Fire at Lafayette Mexican Restaurant

Officials suspect an electrical short in the restaurant's neon lights control box, which is located on the roof, caused the fire. When the electrical short occurred, it ignited the surrounding roofing material and wood structure, allowing the fire to spread.

All customers and employees evacuated the building safely. Fire officials confirmed no injuries were reported.

You can see our original story below.

ORIGINAL STORY

Emergency responders are on the scene of a commercial fire in Lafayette. Pedro's Tacos & Tequila Bar on Ambassador was on fire, according to photos and video circulating on social media Wednesday night.

"Someone save Pedros," one social media post read. "That’s our Friday night hangout." At this time, it is unclear what caused the fire at the popular restaurant, which occupies the building that was formerly Logan's Roadhouse on Ambassador. Flames have been seen erupting from the rooftop, however, and an abundance of smoke was observed pouring out of the building. There are no reported injuries at this time and emergency response personnel are on the scene as of this report, which more likely to show up as the situation progresses. We are awaiting word from Lafayette officials.

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