Firefighters worked for hours to completely extinguish the blaze.
TAMPA, Fla. — Firefighters worked for hours Monday morning to extinguish a fire that completely engulfed the Fresh Kitchen restaurant in Tampa.
Photos taken by Tampa Fire Rescue showed thick smoke coming from the restaurant on South Howard Avenue, according to X's post, and a Sky10 flight over the area later captured images of billowing smoke and flames still hanging in the air hours after the blaze started.
According to Tampa Fire-Rescue spokeswoman Vivian Shedd, the fire was reported at about 4:45 a.m. and a Tampa police officer on patrol first spotted the blaze and reported it.
When the first firefighters arrived on the scene, they found heavy smoke coming from the roof. They initially tried to extinguish the fire from the inside, but the situation quickly worsened and they were forced to abandon that approach.
Firefighters then began battling the blaze from outside and above. What started as a single blaze quickly grew into a second fire and more firefighters were called to help. Firefighters later confirmed the two-storey building had burned to the ground.
South Howard Avenue was closed to vehicle and pedestrian traffic in both directions between West Southview Avenue and Stroud Avenue for several hours but has since reopened.
No injuries were reported among firefighters or civilians, authorities said.
The fire loss came as a shock to nearby resident Olivia Haldane, who said she visits the area every week.
“It was really sad,” Haldane said.I think all the locals really like it. It's a great place to go.”
Fresh Kitchen said on social media that staff are grateful to supporters, adding that the West Shore location is still open and will celebrate its 10th anniversary next month.
“While we are still trying to make sense of this, our focus is making sure our team feels supported during this difficult time,” Fresh Kitchen wrote on social media.
Some neighbors who live on Deckle Street are grateful that no one was injured and mourn the loss, but also want to play an active role with the city in the rebuilding process.
Neighbors like Jed and Katie Kirby said it's about improving safety.
“WWe just want our kids to be safe. “We want it to be practical,” Jed Kirby said.
The family said they have previously complained to the city about concerns about traffic flowing down one-way streets and speeding, and that it's common for tourists to park in front of fire hydrants.
The Kirby family, whose children previously worked at Fresh Kitchen, don't blame the restaurant but believe concerns they've raised over the years have been ignored.
“We are working with Fresh Kitchen as they rebuild to help them comply with current building codes, which may be stricter than the restaurant's previously approved standards depending on how well the existing structure can withstand a fire,” city of Tampa spokesman Adam Smith said in a statement.
