Grease Fire Closes Mall Eateries
Smoke from a small grease fire at the Glendale Galleria temporarily shut down the mall’s food court on Tuesday afternoon and caused an estimated $200,000 in damage, authorities said.
“There were some flames and a lot of black smoke,” said Officer Brian Cohen of the Glendale Police Department’s substation in the mall on Central Avenue.
“By the time it was all over, the food couldn’t be re-served and it was closed down.”
The 3 p.m. fire started in the ventilation system over a stove top at the Wazwan Restaurant, which features Indian cuisine. About a dozen firefighters put out the flames in 15 minutes, a Glendale fire dispatcher said.
There were no injuries, but about 100 customers were evacuated from the food court’s 13 eateries and some adjacent stores. “The smoke is what caused us to evacuate the food court,” said Melissa Beissner, spokeswoman for the mall.
About 20 stores were closed until 4:30 p.m., she said. The food court is expected to reopen today..
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