A Saturday night fire at the offices of Capital Restaurant Concepts has not hampered the business of Paolo’s Ristorante, Chris Perilli, the manager of the Italian restaurant located on the corner of Wisconsin Ave and N St. said.
D.C. fire officials said an electrical malfunction sparked the blaze.
“The news reports at first suggested it was the restaurant that had caught on fire, when it wasn’t,” Perilli, who was at the restaurant Saturday night, said. “It was an office three floors above us.”
According to Perilli, the only damage came from water from the firefighters’ hoses that leaked through the restaurant’s ceiling.
“There was no structural damage,” Perilli said.
The emergency call was placed after a server noticed smoke “rolling out onto N Street,” Perilli said.
Perilli said he was surprised by the orderly conduct of the people as they evacuated the restaurant, and praised the quick response by the D.C. Fire Department.
“It was my first fire evacuation,” Perilli said. “I sort of expected panic, but it was more curiosity.”
