Fire Breaks Out in the Cafe of India

A small fire broke out in the Cafe of India kitchen on Wednesday at approximately 10:45 a.m., according to Jagdish Singh, one of the owners of the restaurant.

Surinder Singh, a chef who has worked at the restaurant on 52A Brattle St. for 15 years, had turned on a charcoal oven to preheat it for the day's service—as he does every day—when the charcoal ignited a fire that triggered the alarm, according to Jagdish Singh.

Cambridge Fire Department and Cambridge Police Department responded to the alarm at around 11:10 a.m., at which point Jagdish Singh had to discontinue service and close the restaurant for the day.

The charcoal oven, which is used by the restaurant to cook meats and bake bread, was able to contain the fire, but the outpouring smoke rose to the ceiling and damaged it, according to Singh, who said he could not estimate the cost of the repairs. But Cambridge fire inspectors determined that the incident caused $10,000 in damage, the Cambridge Chronicle reported.

The individuals inside the restaurant when the fire broke out were Singh, the chef, the waiters, and the other kitchen staff members, who all went home by 5 p.m.

Wednesday's incident marks the second duct-related fire at Cafe of India in the past two years: in January 2008, a duct fire at the restaurant caused the Cambridge Police to close down Brattle Street.

As a result of the fire, a health inspector will examine the premises on Thursday—Singh said that he hopes to reopen the restaurant as soon as it passes inspection.

According to the online database of food handling inspections maintained by the City of Cambridge, poor ventilation was one of the seven violations that Cafe of India exhibited during its routine inspection in March of 2009.

—Staff writer Xi Yu can be reached at xyu@college.harvard.edu.