Fire Damages Burger King Restaurant

An early morning fire at a Burger King restaurant caused approximately $60,000 damage in the kitchen area.  Employees were preparing to open for business when they discovered the fire near the deep fryer.  An employee tried unsuccessfully to extinguish the fire with handheld fire extinguishers before leaving the building.
 
Passersby who called 911 reported smoke and flames coming from the roof of the Burger King at 719 W. Badger Road.  City of Madison firefighters were dispatched at 4:37 a.m. and Ladder 6 arrived within five minutes.
 
Firefighters from Ladder 6 arrived on scene with flames coming from the roof of the structure and heavy smoke out the rear door.  Ladder 6 took an aggressive interior attack, pulling a hose through the rear door of the restaurant and extinguishing the flames.  They pulled down the ceiling tiles to attack the fire that had traveled into the attic space.  Meanwhile, a crew from Ladder 1 went to the roof and cut a ventilation hole in the roof to let heat and smoke out of the attic space as well as remove additional burning materials in the roofing material.
 
Quick actions by the responding firefighters prevented the fire from causing structural damage to the roof.  The business remains closed for cleaning and repairs.
 
No injuries were reported at the scene.  The cause of the fire is under investigation.