A two-alarm fire early Wednesday morning moderately damaged and has closed a northeast Vancouver pizzeria.
Vancouver fire crews were dispatched 3:18 a.m. to Pied Piper Pizza at 12300 Fourth Plain Boulevard for the report of a commercial structure fire.
A single engine initially responded to the call, but firefighters spotted smoke coming from the building and requested additional resources. Four engines and two ladder trucks were dispatched to help, said Vancouver Fire Department spokesman Bryan Fredrickson.
The fire was more intense than the fire department expected, so a second alarm was issued and more assets were called in, although they were ultimately unnecessary. The fire was extinguished in about 15 minutes, Fredrickson said.
Firefighters remained at the scene for two hours. Fredrickson said the business will likely be closed for an undetermined amount of time.
The cause of the fire is being investigated by the Vancouver Fire Marshal’s Office, but the fire department said it may have involved an ice machine.
There was moderate fire damage to the pizzeria, but smoke and water did more to ruin the restaurant, according to the fire department. Other businesses in the commercial building were reportedly not damaged.
The owners of the more than 50-year-old Vancouver pizza restaurant are hoping to sell the business and retire. According to co-owners Ray and Cheryl Eggert, Pied Piper was relisted in the spring but has actually been on the market for about two years. The husband and wife team have jointly owned and operated the restaurant for more than five decades, and they’re both now in their 70s and hoping to retire.
“This is our 51st year in business,” Cheryl Eggert says. “We started in 1968.”
