Blueplate wants to bring all our loyal customers up to speed about the events of last night fire. There was a fire caused by an exterior light that spread into our kitchen area. Nobody was hurt, and the for the most part the restaurant is ok, we will need a few weeks to straighten up the place and get it into order. The staff of Blueplate truly appreciates all the support that has been pouring in and asks you to keep an eye out for updates for us to reopen... pumpkin season is soon and we will be ready!
Monday, August 27, 2018
MULLICA HILL, N.J. (WPVI) --
A well-known restaurant in South Jersey is now closed due to a fire that tore through the building overnight.
It happened at the Blue Plate restaurant along South Main Street in Mullica Hill.
Flames destroyed the kitchen area, as well as the apartments above.
Two people have been displaced.
The Blue Plate expanded in the past year to double its seating size.
The fire chief says it could be at least a month before Blue Plate reopens.
Investigators are on the scene trying to determine how the fire started. The origin of the fire is obviously the kitchen; the fire may easily have started by grease or oil fire or due to electrical issues, etc. According to the restaurant owner, the fire was caused by an exterior light that spread into their kitchen area.
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HARRISON
TWP. - James Malaby has comforting news for regular customers saddened
to hear about the fire at his blueplate restaurant: It will reopen
soon.
How soon?
"Pumpkin
season is soon and we will be ready!" declared a post on blueplate's
Facebook page less than 12 hours after the fire that damaged the
restaurant's kitchen area.
Crews
responded to the fire just after midnight Monday at the Mullica Hill
restaurant at 47 S. Main St., according to a post on the Harmony
Volunteer Fire Co. page.
The fire was found in the
wall cavity, according to the post. The "all hands" fire brought units
from Woolwich, East Greenwich, Woodstown and Glassboro, and was under
control by 12:33 a.m.
The blueplate post described the cause of the fire as "an exterior light that spread into our kitchen area."
The fire chief was not immediately available to discuss the cause.
"Nobody
was hurt, and the for the most part the restaurant is ok," the
blueplate post read. "We will need a few weeks to straighten up the
place and get it into order."
The restaurant,
opened in 2005, specializes in farm-to-fork classics with a modern
twist. The restaurant was renovated to expand dining space within the
last year.
Earlier this year, Malaby and a partner opened Center Square Tavern, serving "New American" cuisine, in nearby Woolwich Township.
Tammy Paolino contributed to this report.