A fire damaged Stockholm’s Restaurant and Brewery in downtown Geneva, but did not cause any injuries, city officials announced on Thursday.
The restaurant said in a Facebook post that the Wednesday night fire caused “rather extensive” damage, so it will be closed until further notice.
On Thursday afternoon, no apparent damage could be seen to the outside of the large two-story building at 306 W. State St. However, the smell of smoke was coming from the open front door of the business, which had caution tape and a sign that read, “things got a little heated, closed until further notice,” blocking entry to the restaurant.
At around 10 p.m. Wednesday, Geneva firefighters responded to a report of a fire in a piece of kitchen equipment inside the restaurant’s basement, according to a news release from the city. Staff from the nearby Niche Restaurant saw smoke billowing from Stockholm’s exhaust hood and notified the restaurant’s staff, Stockholm’s Facebook post said.
The first responding firefighters found smoke coming from the building’s front door and roof, the city’s news release said. Two fires were found inside – one in the basement kitchen and another in the bathroom above the kitchen, city officials said.
Firefighters from Geneva, St. Charles, Batavia, Elburn and West Chicago responded and brought the fire under control in less than 30 minutes, according to the release.
“We are grateful for their swift response, as they were able to contain the fire before it got much worse,” the restaurant’s Facebook post said about the firefighters.
The city’s news release said the restaurant’s basement kitchen and the areas directly above it were damaged by fire, heat, smoke and water.
The fire likely originated in the restaurant’s kitchen, but the cause is still under investigation, city officials said in the release.
The Stockholm’s Restaurant fire marks the second business in downtown Geneva that had to close after fire damage in the past two weeks. Parla, a home decor and consignment shop at 122 Hamilton St., caught fire in the early morning of July 22.
The fire at Parla was put out within 20 minutes without injuries, but the fire and smoke extensively damaged the shop, according to a news release from the city of Geneva.
rsmith@chicagotribune.com
