May 16, 2010

Fire closes Nicaro restaurant in Silver Spring

A downtown Silver Spring restaurant will be closed indefinitely after a fire destroyed the building's interior Saturday afternoon. Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services responded to Nicaro restaurant at 8229 Georgia Ave. in Silver Spring around 1:45 p.m. Saturday. The restaurant's owner, Luis Martinez, had reported seeing smoke coming from a ceiling corner on the first floor of the two-story building. As he was on the phone with emergency services, he walked outside the restaurant, which was not yet open for business on Saturday, and saw large flames emerging from the roof.

"I don't know what could have caught fire," Martinez said Saturday as he watched firefighters take large firehoses out of the restaurant. Firefighters had to tear out the entire ceiling of the restaurant to fight the flames, Martinez said.

Martinez, who took over ownership of Nicaro in August, said he has insurance. Only smoke was found in neighboring businesses, said Capt. Oscar Garcia, a fire and rescue spokesman. The amount of estimated damage to the restaurant is not yet known, and there were no reported injuries, Garcia said. Martinez was the only person in the restaurant at the time of the fire, and there is no known cause. SOURCE: Gazette

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