Fire damages Rosebud restaurant
Sun Staff November 15, 2012 1:26PM
Naperville firefighters respond to the scene at Rosebud Restaurant, 22 E. Chicago, in downtown Naperville, on Thursday, Nov. 15, 2012. | Brian Powers~Sun-Times Media
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Updated: December 19, 2012 12:45PM
Naperville Fire Department officials are still trying to determine the cause of a fire at Rosebud Italian Specialties and Pizzeria at 22 E. Chicago Ave. in downtown Naperville Thursday.
Fire Department officials said they learned about the fire during an 11:56 a.m. phone call to 911, which reported the smell of smoke in Rosebud’s building.
Two engine companies, one truck company, one medic unit and two chief officers rushed to the scene. When they arrived at 12:01 p.m., firefighters put up ladders and discovered a small fire burning on the roof.
All employees and patrons were evacuated from the restaurant without incident. Firefighters worked for 45 minutes to put out the fire, conducting overhaul operations and extinguishing the concealed fire within the roof covering.
One firefighter received a minor injury during the fire but was not transported to a hospital. No civilians were injured as a result of the fire.
A city building inspector responded to the scene to provide structural inspection of the building and deemed the building closed until the Health Department responded and repairs were made to the roof.
Rosebud reopened at about 4 p.m. Thursday.
The fire caused about $100,000 in damage to the structure and its contents.
This isn’t the first time that Rosebud has had to deal with a fire in Naperville. Rosebud’s previous location, 48 W. Chicago Ave. in downtown Naperville, caught fire July 11, 2010. More than 60 firefighters were called in from 14 area fire departments to battle that blaze.
The fire caused significant damage to the kitchen hood and duct system and was difficult to fight because of the three layers of rooftop owners had installed over the years in the old building, officials said.
The fire was eventually ruled an accident.
The blaze left the space unusable for Rosebud, which later worked out a plan to move to 22 E. Chicago Ave.
The space at 48 W. Chicago Ave. is still vacant.
