Firefighters made quick work Tuesday evening extinguishing a fire in the bathroom of a popular restaurant, according to the Santa Barbara City Fire Department.
The blaze at Stella Mare’s Restaurant at 50 Los Patos Way, near the Bird Refuge, was reported at about 5 p.m., said Battalion Chief Lee Waldron.
The fire was traced to a candle that burned down, and spread to a nearby photograph and the wall, Waldron said.
Fire crews were able to quickly douse the flames, which did not extend to other parts of the restaurant, Waldron said.
“There was lots of black smoke in the bathroom,” Waldron said, “but not a whole lot of damage to the rest of the building.”
Waldron said everyone was able to evacuate from the building, and there were no injuries.
The restaurant was expected to be closed the rest of the evening, and for lunch on Wednesday, but was hoping to reopen for dinner Wednesday night, he added.
— Noozhawk executive editor Tom Bolton can be reached at tbolton@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
