Updated Friday at 4:16 p.m.
See previous story updates below
Insurance investigators agree with the Oak Park Fire Department’s conclusion that what started the fire early Wednesday morning at Cucina Paradiso might never be known.
“What caused the fire to start, we can’t determine,” Fire Chief William Bell said Friday.
Both the local fire department and insurance investigators are listing the fire’s source as “undetermined,” Bell said.
All investigators agree that the fire that damaged the restaurant’s kitchen area started outside the restaurant in an alcove surrounding the kitchen door, Bell said.
The wood ceiling of the alcove burned, giving the fire access to the restaurant.
“We believe it burned up and through the wood and then spread,” Bell said Thursday.
Cucina Paradiso is located at 814 North Blvd., Oak Park.
On Wednesday, Oak Park called in a state K9 investigation unit to search for accelerant residue, but none was found, Bell said.
Bell said the fire is not “suspicious,” as suggested in an ABC-7 report that claimed “investigators believe it was intentionally set.”
“That report came in before our investigators came in,” Bell said. “They didn’t talk to any of our investigators.”
The report claimed that police considered the fire suspicious.
“That is incorrect,” Police Chief Rick Tanksley said Thursday.
The un-bylined brief, dated June 19 (one day before the fire), also claimed that “the fire quickly raced through the business,” which is at odds with the Oak Park Fire Department’s account, which was that the fire was contained to the kitchen area. Indeed, at midday Wednesday the dining room was clean, with white table linens and overturned glasses awaiting the next day’s lunch crowd. The dining area was free from any soot or obvious signs of fire damage.
ABC-7’s report further claimed that the art gallery next door, the John Toomey Gallery, 818 North Blvd., was damaged. That also is untrue, according to Lucy Toomey. The Toomeys own both buildings.
An ABC-7 representative would not respond as of Friday afternoon. The representative said the story would be taken off the station’s web site.
Some time on Friday, the date of the article was changed to June 20, but other details stayed the same.
Posted Thursday at 3:43 p.m.
The fire that damaged the kitchen area of Cucina Paradiso Wednesday started outside the restaurant in an alcove surrounding the kitchen door, the Oak Park fire chief said.
The wood ceiling of the alcove burned, giving the fire access to the restaurant.
“We believe it burned up and through the wood and then spread,” Fire Chief William Bell said Thursday.
The cause of the fire at 814 North Blvd. is still undetermined, pending the results of an insurance investigation. On Wednesday, Oak Park called in a state K9 investigation unit to search for accelerant residue, but none was found, Bell said.
An ignition source has yet to be identified.
Bell said the fire is not “suspicious,” as suggested in an ABC-7 report that claimed “investigators believe it was intentionally set.”
“That report came in before our investigators came in,” Bell said. “I have no idea where that could even come from.”
The report claimed that police considered the fire suspicious.
“That is incorrect,” Police Chief Rick Tanksley said Thursday.
The un-bylined brief, which was dated June 19 (one day before the fire), also claimed that “the fire quickly raced through the business,” which is at odds with the Oak Park Fire Department’s account that the fire was contained to the kitchen area. Indeed, at midday Wednesday, the dining room was clean, with white table linens and overturned glasses awaiting the next day’s lunch crowd. The dining area was free from any soot or obvious signs of fire damage.
ABC-7’s report further claimed that the art gallery next door, the John Toomey Gallery, 818 North Blvd., was damaged. That also is untrue, according to Lucy Toomey. The Toomeys own both buildings.
A call to ABC-7 was not immediately returned.
Bell said he expects to know the fire’s cause by Friday.
Posted Wednesday at 4:40 p.m.
Despite the heavy smell of smoke–and the heavy feelings–that hung in the air around Cucina Paradiso Wednesday, the restaurant’s owners looked hopefully to the future to reopen soon.
“We are being told between four to six weeks,” said Anthony Gambino, who owns Cucina, 814 North Blvd., with his brother Nick.
The early morning blaze Wednesday made the rear portion of the roof structurally unstable, the fire department said. The cause of the fire was still being investigated Wednesday, and a fire department representative said a cause would not be known for another day or two.
Although the fire damage was contained to the kitchen area, smoke and water damage was spread throughout most of dining room, the owners said.
The restaurant building is owned by John Toomey, who also owns the building to the west, home to his John Toomey Gallery. The gallery building was untouched by the fire, Lucy Toomey said.
The Gambinos said they are insured for all costs related to the fire. While waiting for the space to be rebuilt, the restaurant will focus on its catering business, 2MayToz, and keep as many of its 30 employees busy there, Gambino said.
2MayToz will operate temporarily out of Unity Temple, 875 Lake St., and Jim August, of Cafe Le Coq, 734 Lake St., offered the use of his kitchen, Gambino said.
Though financially protected, the Gabinos said the emotional impact of the fire hit hard.
“It’s our home,” Nick Gambino said. “We spend more time here than we do at our own homes.”
“You feel extremely violated and you feel extremely nervous,” Anthony Gambino said. “I’m speechless. And I’m usually not speechless. It’s our livelihood.”
The owners said they’ve built a dedicated clientele over the dozen years they’ve been open. Those customers’ support helped them get through the difficult morning.
“We were really emotionally touched by the number of customers who came by this morning,” Anthony Gambino said. “I really was kinda blown away.”
WednesdayJournalOnline.com will update this story when a cause of the fire is known.