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Prasino Sign Catches Fire, 'Careless Smoking' May Have Caused Blaze: Fire

By Alisa Hauser | October 13, 2014 9:15am
 Prasino at 1846 W. Division St.
Prasino Sign Charred in Fire
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WICKER PARK  — A wood and metal sign displaying the name of Prasino, a popular restaurant that shuttered abruptly in August, caught fire on Sunday as the storefront eatery's new tenant was inside.

"I smelled smoke and thought something was on fire somewhere else in the building," said Michael Taus, a chef who is planning to open a new concept in the former Prasino restaurant at 1846 W. Division St. before the end of the year.

Taus joked that while the fire was unfortunate, the incident was a reminder to remove the sign.

"I need to take this sign down anyway," Taus said.

The fire broke out around 3 p.m. Sunday, according to Battalion Chief Tim Gibbons. 

The fire, which was extinguished quickly, destroyed one side of a four-sided wood pillar that was covered with metallic paneling displaying the Prasino name.

No one was injured in the fire, Gibbons said.

Gibbons said he believes "careless smoking" from a cigarette butt that could have been flicked on the sidewalk next to the sign was the cause of the fire.

Taus started his career 26 years ago working under chef Charlie Trotter before opening Zealous, a fine dining restaurant that started in Elmhurst in 1993 and relocated to Chicago before closing at the end of 2012.

Taus said he was inside the restaurant working on design plans at the time of the fire. 

If all goes as scheduled, Taus said the new restaurant will open by the end of December.

When asked for details about the new eatery, including a name that might be replacing the now charred Prasino sign, Taus said he plans to release details through a public relations firm in the near future.