DOVER — A hot dish at a Japanese restaurant in Dover was the source of a close call this morning, according to Fire Chief Eric Hagman.
Firefighters were called at 8 a.m. on Monday to the Petco store, which is in a strip mall off the city's "Miracle Mile," Hagman said, for a report of smoke in the building. Petco shares that strip mall with Japanese restaurant Ikko next door along with: Twice the Fun, a play zone for toddlers; Rocky’s Ace Hardware; and Bed Bath and Beyond.
Hagman said firefighters figured out that the smoke did not originate at Petco and was actually coming from Ikko next door. “Apparently last night they prepared some sort of dish that ignited in the hallway where they stored it. The fire didn’t spread anywhere, it just created smoke and it was smoldering so we removed it from the building," Hagman said.
Hagman said firefighters worked to get rid of the smoke in the affected buildings. "Unfortunately, there’s a fair amount of smoke in a couple of units so we’ve been ventilating. It’s all under control and a close call, but no big damage,” he said.
No pets were harmed and none had to be removed from the pet store, Hagman said. “Luckily it hadn’t gotten to that point, which is a relief,” the chief said.