Smoke Disrupts Elsie's

Five fire trucks and 17 firefighters yesterday responded to an alarm from the owner of Elsie's Restaurant after smoke poured out from beneath the floor.

Elsie's owner Phil Arkell initially called the restaurant's refrigerator company--which had worked in Elsie's Thursday--after seeing the smoke at 2:30 p.m. Repairman Ron Clayton said he knocked a hole in the floor to investigate and "smoke was coming out like a chimney."

Arkell then shut the restaurant for 45 minutes and called the fire department just after 4 p.m.

Fire Captain Theodore S. Bibeau said that the smoke was caused by an electrical shortage in a circuit breaker in an adjoining game room, but Arkell said there was no electrical malfunction.

Arkell apparently also made a hand signal to refrigerator workmen being interviewed to keep them from discussing the origin of the blaze.