Fire broke out at the Buckhead Tin Lizzy’s Cantina on Tuesday morning, sending huge flames shooting high above the roofline.
Firefighters were called to the Piedmont Road restaurant shortly before 6 a.m. and were able to extinguish the bulk of the flames in the first five minutes, according to Atlanta fire Battalion Chief Quincey Watts. It took hours more to punch holes in the roof once fire spread into the ceiling, he said.
The flames were concentrated on the left side of the building, away from the kitchen, and appeared to have originated outside, Watts told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution from the scene. The cause of the fire has since been ruled accidental.
The restaurant was empty when it ignited. According to Watts, the building does not appear to be a total loss.
“The one thing that helped us out was the brick wall on the outside, which was kind of used as a fire wall, which kept the fire from spreading inside the building as much as possible,” he said. “There was some interior damage, but most of the damage is on the exterior side.”
Watts said crews used what is called a blitz attack to spray water from the outside before making their way inside. Most of the damage inside the restaurant was caused by the firefighting efforts, he said.
“I think our response time may have been less than 3 minutes from the time we received the call, and I think that may have played a big factor in us extinguishing the fire,” he said.
One firefighter suffered exhaustion, but Watts said there were no major injuries.
The operation blocked most of Piedmont Road at Roswell Road for a portion of the Tuesday morning drive, forcing commuters to crowd onto nearby Peachtree and Wieuca roads. All lanes were back open by 9:30 a.m.
