LIVONIA, Mich. – A Ram's Horn restaurant in Livonia caught fire Tuesday afternoon.
The restaurant, which is on Middlebelt Road just south of 8 Mile Road, was open for the lunch hour, but no injuries were reported.
Firefighters told Local 4 the fire started in a deep fryer during the lunch rush.
"This lady came and she said 'I'll help you up,' and I looked to where the kitchen is and I saw all these flames," said Marian Zurcicki, a customer in the restaurant when the fire broke out. "I was scared. I mean I've never been that close to something that was starting to go on fire."
A cook in the kitchen was the first one to notice the fire and he immediately told a manager that the restaurant needed to be evacuated.
"I looked over and saw the flames coming out the back of it (the deep fryer). I told the manager to make sure she got everyone out of the restaurant," said Ram's Horn cook Michael Anuszkiewicz.
Parts of the building collapsed as fire fighters worked more than 3 hours to put out the flames.
"If it is a total loss, if it has to be demolished, we'll just build it back up and start fresh," said owner Stephen Diehr. "Most importantly, everyone got out OK. All the customers, all the employees, and that was the main concern."
Some homes behind the restaurant were damaged by smoke and water as firefighters fought the flames.