By Maria Allard
C & G Staff Writer
   
CENTER LINE — The shades were drawn and the parking lot was empty last week at Pauluke’s Grill, a popular eatery located on Van Dyke Avenue, north of Engleman.

The family-style restaurant has been closed since it caught fire during the early morning hours of Aug. 17. The blaze began in the kitchen area, and Center Line Public Safety investigators believe grills that were turned on before the restaurant opened started the fire.

The eatery was closed when the fire broke out. Nobody was injured in the blaze, but CLPS Interim Director Nicholas Chakur said, “There’s extensive damage to the restaurant.”

Chakur said Public Safety received a distress call at 6:15 a.m., and firefighters were on the scene two minutes later. Public Safety officers — along with a TACOM ladder truck crew and several CLPS volunteer firefighters — fought the flames until they were extinguished. The fire was snuffed out by 8:41 a.m.

The blaze reportedly began when an employee turned on the grills to prepare for the morning and left the eatery unattended for a few minutes. There was no one in the restaurant when the fire started. Pauluke’s fire alarm activated, altering Public Safety.

Because the restaurant was closed, Chakur said firefighters used “forceable entry” to get inside the eatery. The blaze reportedly burned through the ceiling vents and into the attic area.

“The fire spread throughout the restaurant,” Chakur said. “There were flames through the roof and out the rear.”

An investigation was conducted after the fire was doused, in which investigators concluded kitchen grills caused the flames. The blaze appears to be an accident.

“We have several people that are arson investigators, and they look for certain things,” Chakur said. “It wasn’t a suspicious fire.”

This is the second Van Dyke business to burn this summer. The Italian Village liquor store, located just south of the I-696 service drive, caught fire June 10 when a transformer plugged into a neon sign either overheated or malfunctioned. After the fire, the store was bulldozed to the ground.

In light of the two fires, Chakur reminds business owners to have working smoke detectors and fire extinguishers on hand. It’s also recommended that alarm systems be installed, so Public Safety is notified immediately of any fires. Chakur also suggests business owners keep paper and trash to a minimum and not to have empty spaces between a building’s two ceilings.

You can reach Staff Writer Maria Allard at allard@candgnews.com or at (586) 498-1045.