An overnight fire at the Peoria Pizza Works building on Prospect Road prompted a response from multiple agencies and caused extensive damage.
Interim Peoria Heights Fire Chief Tony Ardis says crews headed to the restaurant around 4 a.m. Friday after being notified by police.
“When we arrived on scene, it was heavy smoke coming from the entire structure and fire coming out close to the center portion of the roof,” said Ardis, who put out a call for mutual aid.
“We requested additional Peoria companies, just because we knew that they would get there really quickly to keep our crew safe and minimize the damage.”
Peoria contributed three fire engines, a ladder truck and a battalion chief to the effort. Ardis said the Dunlap, West Peoria, and Chillicothe fire departments also assisted.
He said firefighters “made an aggressive attack” and discovered the blaze had reached into the building’s attic.
“So crews got up on the roof, created a hole, and then pulled a lot of the side wood off of the veneer to reach that part of the fire,” said Ardis.
The chief said crews took approximately 10-20 minutes to get the fire under control, then remained on site to see if there were any other areas in the attic that still contained flames.
Prospect Road was shut down in both directions for approximately two hours. By midday, workers had put tarps on the roof of the structure and placed barriers at the entrance to the parking lot.
Ardis said most of the fire damage was contained to the restaurant, while the other businesses in the building had smoke and water damage. He estimated the cost of the damage at “at least $200,000, if not more.”
A Peoria fire investigator reported to the scene to help determine the origin and cause of the blaze. Ardis said the investigation is ongoing and the cause is considered “undetermined” for now.
