Fire to close The Hub Baja Grill for several weeks

A kitchen fire reported shortly after 12:30 a.m. Feb. 1 caused at least $200,000 in damage to The Hub Baja Grill in the Village, according to the Sarasota County Fire Department.

No injuries were reported, but smoke and heat damage will necessitate the closing of the restaurant for up to four weeks, owner Chris Brown told the Pelican Press Wednesday morning.

Two of his managers from the adjacent Cottage restaurant spotted smoke coming from The Hub and called the fire department, Brown said. “They actually saved the building.”

The Hub had been closed a couple of hours, he said, when the incident occurred.

Several fire units quickly responded, he said, adding that he arrived on the scene about 1 a.m.

Capt. Susan Pearson, the public information officer for the Fire Department, said the blaze was confined to the restaurant’s kitchen. A state fire marshal was working at The Hub Wednesday morning, she said, to try to determine the cause of the incident. The marshal’s presence was dictated by the damage estimate, Pearson added.

Fire doors between The Hub and The Cottage saved the latter establishment, Brown said, although some damage resulting from the proximity of the blaze will necessitate a clean-up at The Cottage. Therefore, he said, no food will be served at The Cottage until this weekend.

Brown was working with the fire officials and insurance adjustors Wednesday morning. “I can promise you, we are coming back bigger, better and stronger,” he said. “You can refer to it as the ‘Bionic Hub.’”