Investigators determine cause of fire at Waterford restaurant; its future is uncertain

April 01-- Apr. 1--Cooking oil that ignited in the kitchen of a Waterford restaurant and bar started the fire that caused $750,000 in damage last week.

The fire broke out Friday morning at the "Nowhere in Particular-Home of the Catfish" after an employee started the deep fryer, then left the restaurant to get supplies, said Lt. Dave Hutchinson, commander of the Stanislaus Regional Fire Investigation Unit.

A family member who was at the business saw the fire, evacuated and called 911.

Hutchinson said the oil caught fire while the employee was gone and the hood, which is designed to release an extinguishing agent in the event of a fire, malfunctioned.

The fire spread to the attic and caused the roof to partially collapse over the restaurant portion of the building. The bar area, which has a shared wall with the restaurant, suffered smoke but not fire damage.

Cristina Gonsalves, who co-owns the restaurant and bar with Travis Hunt, said Saturday was the three-year anniversary of the day they took over the lease on the building. They spent four months renovating and opened on Aug. 3, 2016.

Gonsalves said she'd tended bar for years at popular joints like the Battered Beaver in Oakdale and 108 Sports Lounge in Riverbank and was ready to open her own establishment in her hometown.

She said the timing was right for her and Hunt when the space on Highway 132 at F Street became available. Inspired by a recent trip to Louisiana and due to a lack of catfish in Stanislaus County, Gonsalves and Hunt decided to make that their specialty.

Gonsalves said they are waiting to hear from the insurance company before making any announcements about what the future holds for the restaurant.

She said the community has been very supportive, offering assistance and supplies during the cleanup process.

"We are waiting to see what our next step is," she said. "Until then, we will sit patiently and pray that we can open back up eventually."

___

(c)2019 The Modesto Bee (Modesto, Calif.)

Visit The Modesto Bee (Modesto, Calif.) at www.modbee.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.