LITTLE ITALY — A fire broke out in the building that houses County BBQ on Taylor Street, but no one was hurt.
The fire appeared to have started in a ceiling in a second floor apartment in the building at 1352 W. Taylor St., fire crews at the scene said.
The fire, which was called in at 9:11 p.m., was quickly put out and no additional fire engines were needed beyond the two originally sent to the scene, said Fire Department Spokesman Larry Langford.
Crews were still at the scene taking photographs and investigating the cause of the fire around midnight Thursday. Langford said the cause was still unknown.
Front windows on the second floor had been broken out; glass could be seen on the sidewalk out front of the building, which is well-known for its colorful plaid exterior. Smoke and fire damage could be seen upstairs through a second floor rear window.
No damage could immediately be seen to the first-floor restaurant.
A restaurant employee said the fire happened fairly close to closing time and not too many people were inside. The tenants upstairs and everyone in the restaurant were able to quickly leave.
"There was a lot of water," she said.
She said workers still didn't know the cause of the fire or even where it started, but she promised County wouldn't be closed for long.
"We'll get up and running soon," the worker said.
The restaurant, run by DMK Restaurants, opened in July 2013 in the former Genarro's, a longtime Little Italy staple. It has about 40 seats inside, but also has an outdoor patio.
The restaurant, which specializes in smoked meats and whiskey, has been named to Michelin's Bib Gourmand list three years in a row.
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