Fire damages Los Alberto’s restaurant

UPDATED STORY: Smoke filled the air in the Idaho Falls Fred Meyer parking lot this morning, due to a fire at Los Alberto’s Restaurant on Friday (10/14). Workers think they could be out of the building for a month. The cause of the fire is still unknown but we do know that this happened in the back of the restaurant. The owners of the restaurant are completely heartbroken and are not sure when they will be able to go back to work. The crews was still there hosing down the restaurant, even after the fire was put out because the roof collapsed. Some of the debris was covering the sparks of fire and the firefighters were afraid it would ignite again. Crews showed up around 7 a.m to put the fire out. There were large black cloud of smoke as they tried to fight it. Several fire engines and ambulances showed up and the flames kept coming back as they worked to save it. Firefighters say the building will not be saved. “We had a lot of crews outside the building cutting vent holes, cutting access holes and trying to spray the water in because at the point, it was already too dangerous to be inside. Most likely in this situation, it will be completely demolished and rebuilt,” Idaho Falls Battalion Fire Chief Lance Johnson said. Local News 8 spoke with the fire department and they estimate the damage is about half a million dollars, including contents and the building itself. Firefighters are still investigating the fire. Stay with Local News 8 on updates to this story. ORIGINAL STORY: A fire damages the inside of Los Alberto’s on Yellowstone Highway in Idaho Falls Friday morning. An employee went into the restaurant and noticed flames in the back of the restaurant. The cause of the fire is undetermined at this time. Firefighters were able to get the fire out quickly after they arrived. It was reported just after 7 a.m. The owner told us the damage may keep them closed for nearly a month. Los Alberto’s is located near Fred Meyer.