ROCKINGHAM — A discarded cigarette led to the evacuation of a local restaurant during lunchtime Wednesday.
According to Rockingham Fire Chief Austin Parker, crews responded to a call of smoke inside Henry’s Uptown Cafe around 12:30 p.m.
When the department arrived, firefighters discovered that a cigarette was the culprit, igniting plywood covering a former door on the side of the building facing the alley, Parker said.
Small flames were showing at the bottom of the doorway as firefighters used a chainsaw to cut through the plywood.
Parker said there was no fire inside the building.
One customer took his plate of food outside and finished eating while firefighters worked to make sure the fire didn’t spread.
Had the restaurant been closed, Parker said the situation would have been different, with no one around to smell the smoke or see flames.
