A CHELSEA, MICHIGAN, SHOPPING CENTER HAD THE ROOF BURNED OFF Monday afternoon during business hours.

Ann Arbor News photo

The fire apparently started in a dry cleaner’s shop and got up into the attic area where it spread in both directions.  The roof area was open from end to end without any fire stops.

The seven responding fire departments immediately contained the fire and kept it from burning down into the other dozen businesses.  However, seven of them did suffer smoke and water damages.  The hardest hit was a restaurant as described by the Ann Arbor News:

Perri Boman, from the Washtenaw County Health Department, inspected the interior of the restaurant and said items such as food and alcohol that have been exposed to smoke and water would have to be thrown away.

She handed the owners a long list of things they’d need to do before reopening.  Chelsea Grille hopes to re-open in about a month, depending on the extent of the damage that Panos estimated at about $200,000.

Customers were eating lunch in the restaurant at the time of the fire.  “There is food still on the tables,” said Leslie Wolfe, the restaurant manager. “We were told about the fire and we asked them (the customers) to leave.”  The restaurant had 300 reservations for Mother’s Day, Skinner said, but they were able to grab the reservation list that contains phone numbers.

Investigators were at the scene yesterday trying to determine the cause, but they do not believe it to be suspicious.

Read the full story HERE.

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