Fire breaks out at world-class Manresa restaurant in Los Gatos - again
LOS GATOS, Calif. (BCN) - Investigators are trying to figure out the cause of another fire at a world-renowned restaurant in downtown Los Gatos.
It's the second time in almost exactly four years that a fire has started outside Manresa Restaurant, however firefighters say this fire was caught sooner and caused less damage. The first fire was deemed arson, while the cause of this latest fire is under investigation.
Cell phone video shows an orange glow lit up the night sky Monday around 9 p.m. in the back of the Michelin-rated restaurant.
Mark Senigo was walking home from dinner and captured the video of the incident.
"The only thing strange about it was the fence was really on fire. It was crackling," said Senigo.
The fire broke out when the restaurant was closed, as it is every Monday and Tuesday, so no one was inside or hurt.
When the sun came up, you could see melted bins and burnt rubble behind the restaurant.
Firefighters say alert citizens notified crews at the fire station around the corner.
"When they got here, they saw the exterior wall and an adjoining fence of the building on fire," said Santa Clara County Fire Dept. Captain Bill Murphy. "They were able to knock the fire down and contain it in about 15 minutes."
Firefighters say the same restaurant was intentionally set on fire in July 2014.
It took the chef and owner, David Kinch, 6 months to re-open after that incident and the arsonist was never identified or caught.
The cause of this new fire is under investigation.
"It's under investigation. We don't know really anything at this point. We're going to try to open as soon as possible," said Kinch.
KTVU spoke with Kinch and asked him his reaction to another fire.
"Life has a lot of weird twisted fates....but we're going to open back up. It's not going to hold us back," said Kinch.
Many were surprised to hear about another fire at the well-known restaurant.
"I'm hoping it's not arson or anything like that because they just put in a whole new kitchen. They revamped everything," said patron Barbara Littman.
Firefighters say both fires started in the same area, a low-visibility region by the fence behind the restaurant which sits next to a parking lot.
"Because there was a fire here four years ago and now there's another fire similar area of origin, they'll be looking at all potential causes for the fire," said Murphy.
Arson has not been ruled out.
The eatery remains temporarily closed and the owner says it's too early to say when Manresa will re-open.