A structure fire damaged the Old Town Tavern in Goleta early Thursday morning when heavy smoke and heat spread from a kitchen fire to the rest of the building, according to the Santa Barbara County Fire Department.
The cause of the fire was determined to be an overloaded electrical power strip, County Fire Capt. Dave Zaniboni said.
Engine crews responded to the tavern at 261 Orange Ave. at 3:36 a.m. and found heavy smoke coming from the building’s attic vents, he said.
Firefighters entered the building and found a fire in the kitchen with smoke and heat throughout the rest of the tavern.
The fire was out in about 10 minutes, and there was no damage to neighboring buildings; however, one or two nearby residents were briefly evacuated while firefighters worked on the flames, Zaniboni said.
No one was inside the tavern at the time and no injuries were reported.
The fire is under investigation.
— Noozhawk news editor Giana Magnoli can be reached at gmagnoli@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
