San Diego
The Rusty Pelican restaurant in La Jolla opened for lunch Wednesday, despite a two-alarm fire Tuesday that caused $150,000 damage, a restaurant spokesman said.
The county Health Department will conduct a routine inspection, said Ed Fortier, the restaurant’s director of operations.
He said that the fire was restricted to a small cooking area near the seafood bar, which will remain closed. The restaurant is at 4340 La Jolla Village Drive.
“It’s hard to say when (the seafood bar) will reopen, maybe a week to a month,” Fortier said. The dining area was not damaged.
The fire, reported at 8:45 p.m., was caused by grease on a stove in the seafood bar, said Fire Chief John Hale.
It took 70 firefighters about 45 minutes to extinguish the fire.
More than 100 people were in the bar when the fire started, but no one was injured, Fortier said.
A flash fire in a cooking pan had been extinguished by the cook 30 minutes earlier, Fortier said.
“It appeared to be the end of it, but heat from the fire got between the walls,” he said.
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