Airdrie fire crews were called to respond to a fire at Moody's Mediterranean Restaurant in Coopers Promenade last week.
The incident occurred shortly before 11:30 p.m. on Feb. 1, according to a City of Airdrie press release, when Airdrie Fire Department members were dispatched to a reported structure fire after a commercial fire alarm was activated in the 400 block of Coopers Boulevard SW.
Upon arrival, the City's release stated, fire crews forcibly breached an exterior door to gain entry to Moody’s Mediterranean Restaurant, located on the lower level of the large, two-storey commercial building.
Once inside, they encountered heavy smoke and limited visibility. They determined a single overhead sprinkler had extinguished most of the flames and prevented it from spreading to other parts of the restaurant.
According to the release, firefighters extinguished what remained of the blaze and conducted ventilation efforts to clear the smoke. They used a thermal imaging camera to ensure the fire did not affect other parts of the building.
The Fire Prevention Bureau is conducting an incident investigation to determine the cause and damage estimates. No injuries were reported.
On Feb. 7, the business' owner, Moudi Baroud, told the Airdrie City View he expects the restaurant to remain closed for at least four to six weeks while the water damage is dealt with.
Baroud said he was notified of the fire shortly after midnight on Feb. 2 by fire department crews, and spent the next 18 hours on site, speaking to representatives from RCMP and the Airdrie Fire Department, as well as his business' insurance company.
He said the fire itself was small and did not cause much damage, but that the water damage from the sprinklers going off to extinguish the flames was far more extensive.
“The fire was very small – it was just a lot of water damage because two sprinkler heads went off to control the fire,” he said. “That's the main effect.”
Having experienced a house fire before back in 2009, Baroud said the incident brought some scary flashbacks, but he noted the response from his customers in Airdrie has been reassuring.
“It was a tough couple of days, for sure,” he said. The customers have showed us a lot of support. They're sending us a lot of love and kind words, telling us they'll be lined up once we open again.”
