Fire damages Swansea restaurant but owner hopes to repair the building
A fire damaged the Outback Steakhouse in Swansea early Saturday but no injuries were reported.
Swansea Fire Chief Christopher Tell was the first to arrive at the building located at 4390 N. Illinois St. He said he saw flames coming from the building.
The call for help was at 2:59 a.m. and Tell arrived at 3:04 a.m.
Firefighters were able to contain the fire damage to the front part of the restaurant, Tell said.
Tell, who is the only full-time firefighter in the Swansea department, praised volunteer firefighters for an “Outstanding job with the initial knockdown, they pretty much saved the building.”
While parts of the building had heavy fire damage, other parts were spared, Tell said. He said a rack of plastic gift cards was unscathed.
Tell said he believes the building could be restored.
Ginny Ham, the owner of the restaurant, said it is too early to say for certain but she hopes she can restore the damage and reopen the steakhouse.
Ham, who took ownership of the restaurant over a year ago, said she was thankful no one was injured and for the quick response from firefighters.
“We’re going to do our best to get open as fast as we can for our community,” Ham said.
The restaurant had been open on Friday but had closed before midnight, Ham said.
Ham said she is already seeking estimates on the repair costs.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Tell said he requested assistance from the Illinois State Fire Marshal’s office, which responded to the scene early Saturday to investigate the cause of the blaze.
Swansea firefighters received assistance from nearby departments, Tell said. Other fire departments that assisted included East Side, Fairview and O’Fallon on the scene while Northwest provided backup for Swansea. Belleville was called but Tell said he canceled the request because he had enough manpower on the scene.
This story was originally published April 24, 2021 at 9:44 AM.
