 "Photo: Brad Tollefson")
University Avenue was blocked off from Broadway Avenue to 19th Street late Thursday because of a large amount of smoke at Sazón restaurant, according to Lubbock Fire Department officials.
Capt. Steve Couch with the Lubbock Fire Department said a call to dispatchers was made at about 11:11 p.m. Thursday because of smoke in the restaurant.
No fire was reported by firefighters, he said, but one of the bean cookers in Sázon ran out of water and created a large amount of smoke.
“I guess you could say the beans got really cooked,” Couch said.
The Lubbock Police Department shut down the roadway because of safety concerns with the number of responders at the scene, he said. The Lubbock Fire Department sent three fire engines, one fire truck and a battalion chief.
Because of the possibility an incident that covers more than one location, Couch said, the department spread vehicles down University Avenue.
However, he said the department does not issue any type of citation in this situation.
“The health department will be notified so they can check to make sure for the food safety side of it,” Couch said.
Elena Ramirez, manager at the neighboring Freebirds World Burrito, said the employees at Freebirds noticed a large amount of smoke and were not sure where it was coming from.
“We smelled smoke and we thought our restaurant was on fire,” she said.
While searching the building, Ramirez said she sent employees outside to help find the source of the fire. At that point, employees found smoke in Sazón.
Chris Binford, a junior architect major from Houston and employee at Freebirds, said some of the first steps employees took when they smelled smoke was to check food and make sure the gas lines in the building were not damaged.
After they found the source of the smoke, he said, the employees called the police to report the incident.
