Emergency crews responded to reports of visible smoke in ByWard Market on Friday morning after alarms were triggered at the Lone Star Texas Grill – 128 George St.
At 9:47 a.m., a monitoring company notified authorities of an alarm at the George Street address, prompting police and fire dispatch. Additional 911 calls soon followed. Shortly after 10 a.m., officials closed Dalhousie Street between Rideau and George streets due to the fire.
Firefighters arrived within minutes and were informed that occupants had evacuated the three-storey building, which includes the restaurant at street level and office space above. Crews located flames in the kitchen, where a large commercial stove had caught fire and the blaze had extended into the ventilation system.
An initial attempt to extinguish the fire with a carbon dioxide extinguisher was unsuccessful. Firefighters then advanced a hose line, achieving full suppression inside the kitchen, while another crew accessed the roof by ladder to tackle flames in the ventilation ducts.
At the same time, teams conducted two searches of the building after receiving a report that someone might be inside a stairwell. No one was found. Crews also cut into sections of the ventilation system to ensure no hidden fire remained.
The situation was declared under control by 10:16 a.m. Air quality testing confirmed the building was safe before office workers were allowed back inside. A public health inspector attended the scene, as is standard following a commercial kitchen fire. No injuries were reported.