Mount Airy firefighters answered an alarm Wednesday night at Chili’s restaurant which turned out to involve a minor electrical malfunction, but still forced the crowded restaurant to be evacuated.
The call was dispatched at about 7:45 p.m., with seven firefighters and Chief Zane Poindexter responding with three apparatus units.
Fire personnel quickly traced the problem to the kitchen of the U.S. 601 establishment.
“It was just a malfunctioning electrical outlet,” Poindexter said of the wall unit involved. “The smoke that was produced from the outlet triggered an alarm.”
Despite the minor nature of the incident, normal activities at the business were disrupted, including everyone having to exit the building — which Poindexter said is a requirement whenever a fire alarm is activated.
“It was pretty crowded,” the fire chief said of the customers there at the time. “I don’t know exactly how many.”
Minor damage resulted. “We did have to tear a wall out to get to the outlet,” said Poindexter, who explained that this was done to make sure the problem had not extended beyond that point.
Tom Joyce may be reached at 336-415-4693 or on Twitter @Me_Reporter.