BOISE, Idaho — Firefighters had their hands full Tuesday night when a Boise restaurant erupted in flames..
Ada County dispatch says the fire at Los Mariachis on West Fairview Avenue was first reported at about 8:20 p.m.
Photos and video taken by a KTVB crew on the scene show flames shooting from the roof and smoke pouring out of the windows of the building.
Boise Fire Deputy Chief Romeo Gervais says no one was inside the restaurant at the time the fire broke out. However, a firefighter sustained a minor knee injury while battling the blaze.
Gervais says fire consumed much of the attic space of the building, and the back portion of the restaurant's roof collapsed. Crews were able to get out before that happened.
Windows were broken out around the restaurant, and the inside was charred and heavily damaged by fire and smoke.
Fire at Los Mariachis restaurant in Boise
The fire was difficult to fight because some areas of the restaurant were hard to reach due to concerns about the structural stability of the building, and a heavy HVAC unit on top of the roof.
"One of the big things we worry about is firefighter safety," Gervais said. "We don't want to put the firefighters underneath that [unstable roof], so we're having to fight the fire from outside the building with hose streams spraying through windows or cutting holes in the wall."
Fire officials said the fire was mostly extinguished by 10:15 p.m., and that crews would remain on scene for several hours.
At this point, there's no indication as to how the fire sparked, but investiagators are interviewing the owners of Los Mariachis, the people who called in the fire, and others.
Two lanes on Fairview Avenue were blocked for a couple hours while crews worked to put out the flames. Raymond Street was also blocked. Boise Fire asked drivers to avoid the area.