A screen in the door Tuesday told customers that Little Tokyo restaurant in Sitka was closed for the day, while employees worked to clean up inside. A small kitchen fire broke out Monday night. The restaurant’s sprinkler system quickly extinguished the flames, and the restaurant is expected to re-open soon. (Photo by Ed Ronco/KCAW)
Fire officials say a sprinkler system saved a downtown Sitka building Monday night, after a fire broke out in a first-floor restaurant.
Two engines and 20 firefighters responded to a call just before midnight at Little Tokyo, in the 300 block of Lincoln Street.
Assistant Fire Chief Al Stevens says a small fire broke out in the kitchen. It triggered a nearby sprinkler which extinguished the fire and saved the restaurant. Stevens says the fire fighters themselves did not need to spray a single drop of water.
Stevens says there was some water damage in the restaurant, from the sprinkler, but that Little Tokyo expects to reopen soon.
The building also houses Alaska Pacific Bank and Arctic Chiropractic. Those businesses remained open Tuesday.
