BANGOR, Maine — Less than 30 hours after a fire put Blaze restaurant in downtown Bangor out of commission, the eatery was serving dinner.
The fire broke out around 11:15 a.m. Wednesday in the ventilation shaft over the grill used to cook burgers and steaks. The brick oven next to the grill wasn’t damaged.
Firefighters arrived after getting reports of thick smoke settling in West Market Square, pluming from a metal shaft behind Blaze. They doused the worst of the flames quickly, and staff at Blaze began the cleanup later that afternoon.
Blaze reopened at 5 p.m. Thursday, using a replacement grill in another part of the kitchen. Owner Matt Haskell has said he hopes to have the damaged grill and its ventilation system repaired sometime next week, depending on the level of damage.
Haskell credited firefighters for their quick response, and his kitchen staff for their hard work getting the business back up and running in time for a busy weekend, with Husson University graduation and Mother’s Day around the corner.
Follow Nick McCrea on Twitter at @nmccrea213.