Macaroni Grill At Mall Of Georgia Evacuated During Fire

BUFORD, GA – Approximately 25 people were evacuated from Macaroni Grill at Mall of Georgia Monday afternoon due to a fire. No injuries were reported. The restaurant will remain closed for cleanup.

Firefighters responded at 1:02 p.m., to a report of a fire at the Romano’s Macaroni Grill, 3207 Buford Drive, NE in unincorporated Buford.

An employee called 911 after seeing smoke coming from the electrical outlets on the wall in a back storage area near the kitchen. Smoke quickly filled the restaurant as staff and approximately 25 customers were evacuated. An employee doused the outlets with a portable fire extinguisher prior to exiting the building. They reported seeing smoke inside, but no flames were visible. Everyone was outside-safe when the fire trucks arrived.

Firefighters arrived to find light smoke showing from the exterior of the single-story stucco building. Crews deployed an attack hose line and entered the restaurant to put the fire out and check for extension. The fire was contained within the wall on the front-right corner of the building and caused extensive damage to the wall. Firefighters had to breach part of the wall material from the exterior to keep the fire from spreading.

(For more news like this, sign up for Patch real-time email alerts for the latest news in Lawrenceville — or other neighborhoods. Access Patch on the go with our iPhone app or our brand new app for Android phone users.)

Per fire investigators, the exact cause of the fire is undetermined, but appears to be accidental.

Equipment at the scene included: four engines, two ladder trucks, one squad, one medic unit, two battalion chiefs, one district commander, one medic supervisor and two fire investigators.

Photos courtesy Gwinnett County Fire Department