Early Morning Fire Destroys Restaurant

The Leaves steakhouse was destroyed by fire early Sunday morning. The restaurant at 8230 De Soto Ave. sustained an estimated $600,000 in damage, Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Brian Humphrey said.

Fifty-five firefighters put out the blaze, saving six nearby businesses. But they were too late for the free-standing building that housed the restaurant, formerly McGuire’s, a Canoga Park landmark.

“The firefighters did a good job keeping the flames off the adjacent buildings,” Humphrey said.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Firefighters were called to the scene at 5 a.m. and had it extinguished an hour later, Humphrey said. No one was injured.

Owners Karla and Tamim Sayed opened the restaurant in December. They said they saw the blaze on a television newscast and immediately rushed to the scene.

“All this hard work we put into it,” said a tearful Karla Sayed.