FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – A fire was reported Wednesday morning at a restaurant in Fort Lauderdale, authorities confirmed.
Sky 10 was above Wilton Wings Bar & Kitchen, located at 1818 E. Sunrise Blvd., shortly after 10 a.m. as firefighters were seen going into the restaurant with a hose.
A Local 10 News crew was at the restaurant following the aftermath of the fire where parts of the kitchen were left charred and soaked in water as crews worked all morning to put out the blaze.
“Our crews were able to make an aggressive attack despite this relatively high heat, high heat index that we’re facing, and keep the fire from moving over to the other buildings on the east side of the structure,” said Fort Lauderdale Fire Chief Stephen Gollan.
Witnesses told Local 10 News that smoke was coming out of every vent and it was impossible to see inside the restaurant.
“It was all black. Literally, smoke was coming out of all the vents. It was pretty heavy, it was pretty intense,” said Paul Greenberg, who called 911 to report the fire. “It’s Fourth of July and then the next thing, you come in and the building is on fire. It’s definitely something different.”
The smoke and water from the burning building also affected the historic Gateway Movie Theatre, which is located next to the restaurant.
“When they didn’t know where the fire was, they did bash in our front door to go in, so we’ll have to replace the door, do some cleanup, and hopefully we’ll be good,” said Armand Daiguillon, owner of the Gateway Movie Theater.
Authorities said firefighters had to use chainsaws and axes to get access to the flames because of the aged building.
“The building is a very old building and has been added on to year after year after year, so there’s false walls and secondary parts of the structure in there. So, we’re having to navigate through those and make sure we got to the scene of the fire,” said Gollan.
The cause of the fire is under investigation, but detectives believe that it started in the kitchen of the restaurant.
No other details were immediately released.