(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — It was a scary situation after a fire broke out at Austin’s Saloon and Eatery in Libertyville on Sunday, but owner Mark Hyatt told WBBM it could have been far worse.
The fire prompted restaurant staff to evacuate over 100 people, and the Libertyville Fire Department said multiple people were injured, including one person who required hospitalization.
Hyatt said he's actually thankful for how things went.
“Our staff was incredible,” he said. “There were some who kept going in and out of the building. It got smoky, they were guiding people out of the exits … and we got everybody out safely. I can’t tell you how happy I am about that.”
The fire department said the building sustained fire, smoke and water damage. The sprinkler system successfully extinguished the fire.
Officials said they were still investigating the cause of the fire.
Hyatt said the restaurant will be closed for the time being.
“Again, I’ve got to give it to my staff, they hung around,” he said. “We cleaned up about 6 inches of water off the floor and started assessing the damage. Surprisingly, the damage was not close to what we thought it would be.”
Although he didn’t have a timeline yet, Hyatt said they plan to reopen soon.
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