2-Alarm Fire Damages Exterior Of Artie's Restaurant In Fairfax

Updated 4:15 p.m: This story was updated with information from a Washington Gas spokesman.

FAIRFAX CITY, VA — An early-morning fire caused extensive damage to the Artie's Restaurant in the Fairfax Circle Shopping Center on Friday.

Units from the Fairfax City Fire Department responded a few minutes after 3 a.m. for the report of a building fire at 3260 Old Lee Highway, according to Matthew Kaiser, a public information officer with the city.

Arriving on the scene, fire personnel observed flames on the exterior and along the roofline of the Artie's Restaurant. The flames were being fed by natural gas from a nearby gas meter, said Kaiser

A second alarm was put out, which brought more than 60 personnel and 20 pieces of equipment to fight the blaze. Firefighters were able to bring the fire under control within an hour, Kaiser said.

No injuries were reported and the cause of the fire is being investigated by city inspectors.

Since a gas meter was involved with the fire, Washington Gas sent a team to assess the situation.

"The fire at the restaurant did include a fire at the location of the meter and associated piping, but the ignition source of the fire is still under investigation," said Bernie Tylor, a Washington Gas spokesman. "We will continue to coordinate closely with the first responders."

Fairfax City Police closed northbound Old Lee Highway for a few hours Friday morning to allow fire personal to respond to the fire without interference, according to a post on the department's official Twitter account. Police also detoured southbound traffic on Old Lee Highway coming from the circle to Old Pickett Road. Roads were reopened to normal traffic around 6:30 a.m.

The interior of the Artie's Restaurant also sustained damage from smoke and water. An adjacent vacant storefront undergoing renovation was also slightly damaged by the fire.

Around 11:15 a.m., the restaurant appeared to be closed, and staff members were in the process of transferring food and kitchen supplies into a box truck.

Patch contacted Great American Restaurants, which owns and operates Artie's, for comment.