SOUTH HAVEN, MI (WHTC-AM/FM) – South Haven Area Emergency Services was at the rescue on Saturday afternoon in saving an iconic part of the Lakeshore community’s downtown.
First responders were dispatched to Clementine’s restaurant on Phoenix Street around 1:30 p.m. when employees smelled smoke that was noticeable in a non-public area on the building’s upper floor. Patrons and workers were safely evacuated without injury, and firefighters spotted flames coming from a first floor kitchen wall behind a broiler.
Water was applied so as to not contaminate any other food preparation areas, and the blaze were brought under control without further incident. One firefighter was treated at the scene for heat exhaustion, as outdoor temperature at the time was at 91 degrees.
Clementine’s had just reopened this past Monday after being affected by Governor Whitmer’s “Stay Home, Stay Safe” and “Safer at Home” executive orders due to the COVID 19 outbreak.
The restaurant had to close throughout the weekend because of the fire, but released a statement on their Facebook page saying they plan to reopen on Tuesday.
A dollar estimate of the damage cause by the incident is pending, and a cause of the blaze is under investigation.
