Fire chief: Fire accidentally started at Farmington Blake's Lotaburger
No one was injured in March 11 blaze
- The Farmington Fire Department was dispatched around 12:07 p.m. on March 11 to the restaurant at 420 E. Broadway Ave. on reports of a structure fire.
- The fire was accidentally started by workers on the roof.
- The structure was significantly impacted from the water, fire and smoke damage.
FARMINGTON — A Farmington Blake’s Lotaburger restaurant has been boarded up and closed after an accidental fire was ignited on the roof last week.
The Farmington Fire Department was dispatched around 12:07 p.m. on March 11 to the restaurant at 420 E. Broadway Ave. on reports of a structure fire, according to Farmington Fire Chief David Burke.
As firefighters arrived on scene, the structure fire was well involved, as smoke and fire could be seen.
The fire was accidentally started by workers on the roof, Burke said.
He declined to elaborate on who was working on the roof and what job was being performed that led to the start of the fire.
He said the structure was significantly impacted from the water, fire and smoke damage. No one was injured, and employees were able to safely evacuate.
Firefighters did have difficulty getting complete access to the business to put out the fire, Burke said.
He said it was difficult to fully extinguish the fire due to how the building was constructed. Firefighters had to make multiple return trips to the site to extinguish fires that flared up on the roof.
The Blake’s Lotaburger corporate headquarters did not respond to a request for comment.
The doorways and windows of the restaurant have been boarded up. Building materials singed by the flames were strewn about the drive-thru lane behind the building.
The odor of smoke could be smelled from the parking lot.
Blake’s Lotaburger took over the location in the mid-1980s. The building served as the home of Dandy’s Family Restaurant before then, according to The Daily Times archives.
Joshua Kellogg covers breaking news for The Daily Times. He can be reached at 505-564-4627 or via email at jkellogg@daily-times.com.
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