John Ly, the owner of a popular fish and chips restaurant in East Long Beach, said Wednesday evening was supposed to be a busy day for his business.
It was Ash Wednesday, he said, and since many people tend to give up eating red meats for the holy day, he knew customers would be coming in to eat at his Village Inn Fish & Chips locale in the 6400 block of Stearns Avenue.
But instead of cooking up quick meals for hungry customers, Ly was forced to shut down operations after a fire suddenly broke out around 6 p.m. inside his kitchen.
Ly said some customers had just walked into the restaurant while he was cooking when he heard a sudden wind sound and saw smoke coming from a hood in the kitchen.
Then in the blink of an eye, a grease vat ignited, prompting the fire protection system to activate, Ly said.
Fire crews responded to the scene and contained the fire to a stove top, Long Beach Fire Department spokesperson Jake Heflin said, adding that no injuries were reported.
Neighboring businesses, such as Simone’s Donuts and Poor Richard’s, didn’t appear to suffer significant damage and opened Thursday morning, though Heflin said firefighters cut a 2-foot-by-2-foot hole in the roof of Simone’s Donuts to make sure there was no smoke running through the shared attic of the strip mall businesses, which is a common procedure.
Workers for a nearby nails and spa business confirmed some smoke reached their building, but the business also opened Thursday. Workers said their facilities were not damaged.
But Ly, who owned the fish and chips restaurant for 13 years, said this was the first time a fire has forced him to temporarily close his doors.
“Life,” Ly said with a chuckle while standing outside his restaurant the following afternoon.
He appeared to be trying to remain in good spirits on Thursday, but said he was sad to have to close for some repairs and stop doing what he loves.
Although the shop did not suffer structural damage, according to Ly, at the bare minimum he will need to replace one of his stoves before reopening.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated with information from John Ly.