An employee suffered minor injuries after a fire sent flames and smoke coming from the roof of a restaurant in Gurnee before it was quickly contained Thursday evening.
The Gurnee Fire Department, Gurnee Police Department and Grayslake Fire Protection District responded around 6:20 p.m. Thursday to Teriyaki Madness, 6409 Grand Avenue, for a report of a structure fire.
Gurnee Fire Department Lt. Nick Perry said a 911 caller reported seeing heavy black smoke from the roof of the restaurant.
The bystander, who was near the Dollar General, then began to see flames coming from the roof, Perry said.
Firefighters arrived and confirmed seeing flames and smoke showing from the roof of the commercial building.
Perry said a hose line was pulled by firefighters, who found the Ansul fire suppression system had activated.
A worker inside the restaurant was also working to extinguish the fire with a dry chemical fire extinguisher.
Firefighters used fans to ventilate the smoke from the business and set up a ladder truck to check the roof for fire extension, Perry said.
The fire was in the restaurant’s ventilation system, which ventilates the kitchen above the stovetop.
The employee who helped in extinguishing the fire had minor burn injuries and was treated at the scene by paramedics. He declined transport to the hospital.
The fire was caused by an accumulation of grease in the ventilation system, Perry said.
Firefighters remained at the scene for almost an hour.
The restaurant remains occupiable and a fire protection services company responded to the scene and was performing repairs after the fire department cleared the scene on Thursday evening.