Lafayette's Postino Restaurant May Close For Months Following Kitchen Fire

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LAFAYETTE (CBS SF) -- A high-end Italian restaurant in Lafayette may be closed for months after a stubborn grease fire spread to the attic and took several hours to fully extinguish Tuesday night.

The fire at Postino, listed at 3565 Mt. Diablo Blvd., was initially reported around 6:50 p.m., according to Contra Costa County Fire Protection District spokesman Steve Hill.

Postino co-owner Parry Tong said Wednesday evening that the fire happened above the hood over the kitchen's grill.

"It was a grease fire that ignited," Tong said. The grill has a safety system in place to put out fires on the grill, but this started above that system and spread into the walls.

"By the time we tried to put it out it was already in the roof," Tong said.

To complicate the matter, the restaurant is in an old and historic building that may be challenging to restore. It's too soon for a monetary damage estimate, but Tong described the damage as "pretty bad," adding that it might be three or four months before the restaurant can reopen.

Firefighters were on the scene until well after midnight, according to Tong.