Spontaneous Combustion Starts Fire at 147 Chatsworth Ave.

A fire at a restaurant under construction in downtown Larchmont on Saturday afternoon was termed an accident due to spontaneous combustion, said Larchmont Fire Lieutenent Tony Martyn. 

Two LFD engines and a ladder truck were dispatched to 147 Chatsworth Avenue, a two-story building that previously was the site of The Catery, at 1:44 p.m. Firefighters knocked down the fire in about 10 minutes, said Martyn.

The fire began in the bar area, which was being refinished with polyurethane. The chemicals spontaneously combusted after the day's construction had ceased. No one was present in the building at the time. 

Martyn said the first floor sustained minor fire damage but the attic space above the main floor had heavy smoke damage. As of Saturday evening, Con Edison has shut off electrical power at the site, said Martyn.