A fire caused by a malfunction in an upright storage freezer late Wednesday night damaged Jeremy’s Bel View restaurant on Foote Avenue.

City firefighters responded to multiple 911 calls of a fire in the 763 Foote Ave. building at 10:36 p.m. who said the building appeared to be on fire and that there was grey and black smoke coming from the building. First responders arrived to find smoke coming from the rear of the building and roof eaves. Firefighters from Car 1 performed a 360-degree survey of the outside of the building and saw fire inside the kitchen ventilation units on the restaurant’s south side. Firefighters did not see fire inside the restaurant dining or bar area. Fire did not appear to have burned through the building’s flat roof, though firefighters were concerned there could be fire in the cockloft, the immediate space between the exterior roof and the interior ceiling of the building’s main floor.

Firefighters from Engine 3 stretched a hand line to the rear of the building and entered through an exterior kitchen door. Engine 5 secured a hydrant, while a ladder truck was tasked with preparing to spray the roof and ventilate the building. Fire was extinguished in the kitchen, with other firefighters helping with salvage/overhaul operations to make sure any other fire was out. Engine 4 crews set up a gas powered positive-pressure ventilation fan at the front entrance of the building to remove smoke.

An investigation showed the fire was accidental, caused by the malfunction or overheating of a compressor unit in an upright storage freezer.

An off-shift callback of 12 off-duty firefighters and one officer was recalled to help at the scene and respond to other 911 calls throughout the city. There were no injuries. Firefighters returned to station around 1:20 a.m.