Attleboro Restaurant Destroyed in Overnight Blaze

ATTLEBORO (WBSM) — A restaurant was destroyed as the result of a two-alarm fire in Attleboro early this morning.

According to Attleboro Fire Chief Scott T. Lachance, the department responded at about 1:31 a.m. today to a reported structure fire at 147 Pine Street, the location of the El Buen Sazon restaurant.

Firefighters Face Extreme Heat and Collapse

Crews arrived to find heavy smoke and fire coming from the rear of the building. Lachance said the crews who went inside the building “faced zero visibility and extreme heat” while battling the blaze, and cut ventilation holes in the roof to help release the heat and smoke.

“At approximately 2:05 a.m., Command observed sagging in the building’s roof, which was quickly followed by a partial roof collapse,” Lachance said. “An emergency evacuation order was issued, and all interior crews were able to exit safely without injury.”

Exterior Attack and Mutual Aid Response

Firefighters then battled the blaze from the exterior of the building and remained on scene until 5:37 a.m. Mutual aid was provided by the Norton, North Attleboro, Rehoboth and Pawtucket fire departments.

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Damage Assessment

Lachance said the building is expected to be a total loss.

“This was a challenging fire to extinguish,” said Attleboro Fire District Chief Michael Maitland, the incident commander. “The building’s layout was far from typical, which made accessing and reaching the seat of the fire difficult. Despite those challenges, our crews worked tirelessly under dangerous conditions to bring the fire under control.”

Cause and Investigation Status

Lachance said the fire does not appear to be suspicious but remains under investigation.