UPDATED: Decatur restaurant sustains fire damage

Sept. 29--UPDATED 5:12 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 29, 2016

DECATUR -- The fire that significantly damaged Del Carmen's East on Thursday is believed to have been set intentionally.

Fire Chief Jeff Abbott said Thursday afternoon that investigators think the fire was started to cover up evidence of a break-in at the business. The Decatur Police Department is investigating.

Anyone with information is encouraged to contact police at 217-421-2711.

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UPDATED 9:13 a.m. Thursday Sept. 29, 2016

DECATUR -- The Decatur Fire Department is still working to determine the cause of a fire that significantly damaged Del Carmen's East on Thursday morning.

Firefighters were dispatched at 6:49 a.m. to the building at 221 N. 22nd St., where they found heavy smoke coming from the first and second floor windows, Fire Chief Jeff Abbott said.

The fire is believed to have started on the first floor, he said. It ultimately extended to the roof, where flames were darting into the air shortly after 7 a.m.

"The roof provided additional challenges to us, because it's a metal deck roof, so it's very hard to open up," he said. Within an hour, the roughly 21 to 25 firefighters on scene had the blaze under control.

Del Carmen's East owner Larry Stanley said the building also contains three apartments above the pizza restaurant. One of the apartments was unoccupied. Tenants of the other two made it out of the building uninjured.

Stanley said he hoped to reopen the business eventually, but would need to assess the damage and communicate with his insurance company.

"I just want to tell the customers that I'm sorry," he said. "Hopefully we can get back in business and serve them again as quickly as possible. But that takes time."

While it borders Del Carmen's, Cutz by Vicki at 121 N. 22nd St. is in a separate building. It suffered no ill effects, other than a smoky smell and a temporarily high carbon monoxide reading.

Owner Vicki Shartzer said she received a call from an employee of Huck's letting her know about the fire. At first, it wasn't clear whether her building was also affected.

Shartzer said her business would be open today.

Stanley and his wife are her landlords, she said, describing them as "wonderful people."

"My heart just aches for them," she said.

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ORIGINAL STORY: 8:10 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 29, 2016

DECATUR -- Del Carmen's East sustained substantial damage in a fire on Thursday morning.

Firefighters were dispatched to the scene at 6:49 a.m. Within an hour, they had the blaze under control.

Del Carmen's owner Larry Stanley said the building also contained three apartments, one of which was unoccupied. Residents made it out of the building unhurt.

This story will be updated.

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