El Sombrero Restaurant burns on Browns Bridge Road in Gainesville

A Mexican restaurant on Browns Bridge Road in Gainesville was destroyed by fire early Thursday morning.

Division Chief Keith Smith with the Gainesville Fire Department said someone driving down the road around 5:30 a.m. saw flames coming from the roof of El Sombrero Restaurant and called 911.

He said firefighters went to work on battling the fire right away, but it wasn't easy to extinguish.

"This restaurant has been here maybe 30 years or so...it's been different businesses," Smith said. "The owner believes it has three different roofs on it and the problem with that is the fire gets in between each layer, so we have to keep searching every crack and crevice, trying to get all the fire."

Finding a cause for the fire will be challenging, according to Smith.

"The fire marshal and his investigators are on scene," Smith said. "Once that roof collapses, it's hard to tell, you know, when there's so much damage, but they'll do everything they can to [find the cause]."

Smith did not know the value of the business, but he said it would be declared a total loss.

No one was injured. 

Browns Bridge Road was closed to traffic for most of the morning, and the road remained only partially open by early afternoon.

Smoke billows from El Sombrero Restaurant on Browns Bridge Road early Thursday morning.

Photo: Gainesville Fire Department

Photo: Gainesville Fire Department

The aerial basket swivels to hit the far side of the building. 9:45 a.m.

The building is a total loss, according to fire officials. 9:45 a.m.

Gainesville Firefighters took an aerial attack of the fire, blasting the roof with water. Here, they are trying to douse hot spots. 9:45 a.m.

At 9:45 a.m., fire crews were putting out hot spots, like this one on the side of the building.

http://accesswdun.com/article/2019/11/850906/el-sombrero-restaurant-burns-on-browns-bridge-road-in-gainesville