South Wichita restaurant is closed ‘until further notice' after a Monday-night fire
An electrical fire that broke out in the attic of the Jimmie's Diner at 1419 George Washington Drive on Monday evening could have been much worse, the owners say.
But they're not sure how long it will take to clean up the damage left behind and are closing the restaurant until further notice.
'We are blessed no one was injured, and that's the main thing,' said Linda Davidson, who owns the restaurant — and the original Jimmie's Diner at 3111 N. Rock Road — with her husband, Jack, and son, Joe.
Joe Davidson said that he got a call from the alarm company at 9:05 p.m. on Monday. A motorist passing by the restaurant had noticed heavy smoke coming out of the vents and called 911. The restaurant had closed at 8 p.m., and workers had locked the building up and left around 8:05 p.m., he said.
Fire crews got to the scene quickly and were able to extinguish the fire, which did not spread beyond the attic and appears to have been sparked by an electrical fire in one of the furnaces. But the restaurant now has water and smoke damage, and the dining room smells strongly of burned wire, Joe Davidson said.
On Tuesday morning, restoration crews were at the restaurant assessing the damage. The Davidsons don't know how long the restaurant will be closed, but they definitely plan to reopen it as soon as they can, they said.
The Davidson family opened the south location of their Jimmie's Diner in the former Toc's Coffee House space in 2012.
Until its reopen, customers who frequent the south-side Jimmie's Diner can visit the Rock Road restaurant, which is open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily.
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