Employee injured in fire at La Sirena Grill

One employee was injured in the second fire to strike a Laguna Beach restaurant in the past week, according to the Laguna Beach Fire Department.

A fire broke out at 1:41 p.m. Tuesday in an enclosed space in the kitchen of La Sirena Grill at 30862 S. Coast Hwy., a fire department news release said.

Twenty-two firefighters from Laguna Beach and the Orange County Fire Authority responded and extinguished the fire in 30 minutes, fire department officials said.

Customers were evacuated due to the smoke, and one employee was injured while trying to put out the fire before firefighters arrived, according to the release.

Damage is estimated at $15,000 and the fire’s cause is under investigation, the fire department said.

The restaurant could be closed for several days, according to Laguna Beach Fire Department Chief Jeff LaTendresse.

“They need some electrical, drywall and other work [before opening],” LaTendresse wrote in an email. “The [city’s] building department and health department [Orange County Health Care Agency] must inspect the restaurant prior to reopening.”

Meanwhile, a fire also broke out at Mozambique restaurant over the weekend.

The fire began Saturday afternoon behind a wall on the second-floor and caused an estimated $10,000 in damage, according to a Coastline Pilot story.

One firefighter was injured while trying to pull a hose, LaTendresse said.

The two fires are not related, and an investigation is underway for the Mozambique fire as well, according to the release.