Millburn Restaurant Fire May Shut Down Sakura For Months

A kitchen fire at Sakura restaurant on Essex Street in Millburn on Thursday morning caused extensive damage to the local business, which has been in town for more than a decade.

According to a Millburn Fire Department incident report, firefighters arrived on the scene of the blaze around 12:22 a.m. after getting a report of an activated alarm on the property.

On arrival, firefighters reportedly found smoke coming from the rear roof and from the front door. Firefighters attempted to gain access via the Knox box system, then stretched a hose line through the front door into the restaurant’s kitchen and extinguished the flames.

After locating hidden fires above an exhaust duct and in the rafters, firefighters ventilated the building by taking out the side windows and cutting a hole in the roof.

“The initial fire was knocked down quickly, but crews had to open walls and ceilings to extinguish spreading fire until it was brought under control,” summarized Fire Chief Michael Roberts.

Mutual aid companies and emergency responders on the scene included the Millburn Police Department, Millburn-Short Hills Volunteer First Aid Squad, and fire companies from Irvington, Maplewood, Summit, West Orange, Springfield and South Orange.

No injuries were sustained as a result of the fire, according to the fire incident report.

The restaurant’s owners told TAP Into that a faulty soda machine may have been to blame for the fire.

They estimated that the damage will take six to nine months to repair, TAP Into reported.

Send Millburn news tips to eric.kiefer@patch.com