FREDONIA — Three employees were injured after a fire and explosion at a Fredonia restaurant Sunday night.

Chautauqua County Sheriff’s deputies report at 10:20 p.m., multiple phone calls came in to the Dispatch Center reporting an explosion with injuries at the McDonald’s located at 500 E. Main St. The Fredonia Fire Department and Fredonia Police Department responded with assistance from the Dunkirk Police Department, New York State Police, Alstar Ambulance, and the Chautauqua County Office of Emergency Services. A female employee was flown to ECMC in Buffalo for treatment, another female employee was transported to a Brooks-TLC hospital in Dunkirk for treatment, and a male employee was evaluated at the scene.

Fredonia Fire Department, in a release issued Monday morning, indicated it arrived in under three minutes to find all occupants evacuated and being triaged. Crews confirmed the fire was contained by the sprinkler system with no extension, and utilities were secured.

The Chautauqua County Fire Investigation Team was requested to assist in an origin and cause investigation of this incident. Though the investigation, it was determined that an employee had pulled out a grilling unit in order to clean behind it. In pulling out the unit, the natural gas line that supplied the grilling unit became detached, allowing natural gas to flow freely and was ignited by another grilling unit causing the explosion.

Safety features that were in place automatically shut off the natural gas supply and extinguished the fire keeping damages to a minimum. The McDonald’s remains closed and the fire is being ruled accidental in nature.

Fire crews operated for approximately three hours.