Chops Lobster Bar had to be evacuated late Friday when a fire broke out at the popular Buckhead steakhouse, but all of the patrons were able to escape without injury.
An Atlanta Fire and Rescue crew responded around 10 p.m. after someone reported thick black smoke coming from the restaurant at 70 West Paces Ferry Road. When the initial crew arrived, they upgraded it to a two-alarm blaze and called a second crew to assist them, a fire department spokesperson said.
More than 100 bystanders gathered near the scene and watched as firefighters battled the blaze.
They contained the fire to the building’s attic and were able to subdue all the flames by 11:20 p.m., according to department officials.
Crews cleared the scene but were dispatched back to Chops around 2:30 a.m. Saturday after someone reported flames coming from the rooftop. Fire units confirmed hot embers burning in the chimney and extinguished the small fire, according to a news release.
Firefighters remained on the scene until 7:45 a.m. Saturday to make sure the fire didn’t re-ignite.
The blaze started inside a hood vent, Channel 2 Action News reported.
The cause remains under investigation, according to a department spokesperson. Officials did not specify the severity of the damages.
Now owners are trying to make repairs and get the steakhouse back open.
Chops Lobster Bar is one of eight popular, award-winning Atlanta eateries owned and operated by the nationally acclaimed Buckhead Life Restaurant Group.
“We’re in the middle of cleaning it all up and doing our best to get it open as soon as we can,” Pano Karatassos told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “We have no idea when that’s going to be yet. This all just kind of happened to us last night. So at this point right now, it’s hard to say.”
He said Saturday morning an extensive amount of water damage remained inside the building.
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