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A fire that broke out in the kitchen ventilation system has temporarily closed the Texas Roadhouse restaurant on Wolf Road in Colonie. The incident occurred around 11:15 a.m. on Thursday (February 5) as employees were preparing for the day's service.
According to Fuller Road Fire District Chief Michael Romano Jr., staff members discovered the fire in one of the ventilation hoods in the kitchen. The flames quickly spread through the vents, prompting employees to evacuate the building and call 911.
"We got here, we had heavy smoke coming from the building with fire through one of the vents in the roof here," Romano told reporters at the scene.
Firefighters arrived promptly and could be seen battling flames in the building's ventilation system. Crews tackled the fire on two fronts – addressing the flames in the first-floor kitchen while also working on the roof to remove the affected vents. Multiple fire departments responded to assist with the emergency.
The restaurant was closed to customers at the time of the fire, as staff were preparing for a scheduled 3 p.m. opening. Fortunately, no injuries were reported in the incident.
Chief Romano noted that this wasn't the first fire incident at this location. "We have had grease fires here before. We've had electrical fires here before. We do get an occasional fire alarm here," he explained.
By 12:15 p.m., Colonie fire investigators were assessing the damage to determine the exact cause of the fire. News10 reported that investigators believe it was a grease fire that started in the kitchen.
The popular restaurant will remain closed while repairs are made to the damaged ventilation system. As of Friday (February 6), there has been no announcement regarding when the establishment will reopen.
"I don't know how long it'll be before they get their repair companies in there," Romano said on Thursday. "But they're not opening today."
The fire temporarily affected traffic in the area, with Wolf Road closed for a period during the emergency response, though it has since reopened.