Faulty Motor May Have Caused Restaurant Fire, Cops Say

While still under investigation, officials believe a fire that destroyed much of the interior of Ridgewood Restaurant may have been caused by a motor on top of a walk-in cooler, Lt. Thomas Kmetz said.

The fire swept through the dining area of the restaurant just after 2 a.m. Saturday, Kmetz said. The owners, who had left the building a short while earlier, returned to find smoke billowing inside the structure, Kmetz said.

A tenant in the upstairs apartment was sleeping at the time and was awoken by the owners, Kmetz said. He was able to get out of the building without any injuries.

Smoke was pouring from every corner of the building when firefighters arrived, Kmetz said, but the blaze was quelled before the structure was knocked down.

The first floor of the building collapsed into the basement and smoke damage destroyed the dining room, Kmetz said.

Hopatcong, Roxbury, Netcong, Mt. Arlington and Stanhope fire departments all responded.

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