Iconic Jewish Deli In Newark Back In Business After Fire (VIDEO)

NEWARK, NJ — A fire ripped through a landmark Jewish deli in Newark on Monday, temporarily shutting down the business and sending a firefighter to the hospital with heat exhaustion, authorities said.

According to the Newark Department of Public Safety, the blaze took place around 2:10 p.m. at Hobby’s Delicatessen on Brandford Place. Patrons and employees self-evacuated the building before firefighters arrived.

The fire was considered under control at 2:24 p.m., officials said.

A firefighter was treated for heat exhaustion at the scene and was transported to University Hospital for further evaluation. The American Red Cross relocated one person, authorities said.

The cause and origin of the fire are being investigated by the Newark Fire Division’s Arson Unit, authorities said Tuesday.

Hobby’s Delicatessen offered some more details about the fire via social media:

“For those who haven’t heard, Hobby’s suffered a small fire in the ceiling by the bar around 2 pm today. Newark’s bravest came promptly and extinguished the fire quickly and professionally. (THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU TO THE NEWARK FD - YOU GUYS ARE FANTASTIC! YOU SAVED OUR BACON!) We are temporarily closed for business; we promise to reopen faster than it took Marc to recover from his broken back.”

True to their word, staff will be back in the kitchen again Wednesday, the restaurant reported:

“We’re thrilled to announce that Hobby’s will reopen TOMORROW(!), Wednesday, at 8:30 am for DELIVERY AND TAKEOUT ONLY! (Our dining room will be closed until further notice.) Meanwhile, Michael is happy he will not have to walk Newark’s downtown streets with this sign like he did back in ‘93. We look forward to serving everyone again!”

On its website, the restaurant’s owners, the Brummer family, say the eatery has been under their control since 1962.

“An old-fashioned Jewish delicatessen, Hobby’s still pickles its own legendary corned beef in fifty-gallon stainless steel vats, and its potato pancakes are a must-have. Soups are hearty and, of course, homemade. But Hobby’s is much more than a place to enjoy hard-to-find top-quality Eastern-European delicacies - Hobby’s offers a wonderful line of freshly-made salads, fresh fruits, and daily specials such as gazpacho, fresh salmon, chicken fajita wraps and other, more modern fare.”

JeffStang Fire Photography posted the below video taken at the scene of the fire.

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