Appliance started sushi restaurant fire

Business sustained 'extensive loss'

MOSES LAKE - A faulty electrical appliance appears to be the culprit in a restaurant fire on West Third Avenue in Moses Lake Sunday night.

The Moses Lake Fire Department concluded their investigation of a fire at Tsunami Sushi Monday morning.

It appears the electric appliance, possibly a stereo, shorted or overheated too close to combustible items, Moses Lake Fire Department Fire Chief Tom Taylor said. The combustible items appear to be clothing but has not been proven.

The fire appears to be centralized to the hostess bar, Moses Lake Fire Department Assistant Fire Chief Brett Bastian said.

A cash register sitting upon the hostess bar was melted. Several tables and chairs sustained extensive fire and smoke damage. Layers of soot caked stacks of dishes. Framed art hanging on the walls was turned to ash. The scent of burned plastic loomed the restaurant.

The fire was called in at approximately 9:30 p.m. Sunday night, he said.

"Upon arrival, smoke was billowing out and a fire had started near the front register," according to the Moses Lake Police Department. "(The fire department) extinguished the fire and the inside appeared to be an extensive loss."

No one was inside the business during the fire and there were no injuries, Bastian said. The building was secured and the fire was not suspicious in nature.

There were no smoke detectors in the business, he said. Most commercial businesses are not required to have them.

It took 15 firefighters approximately two minutes to extinguish the flames, he added. It did not appear to be a total loss.

Four other businesses sharing the same block on West Third Avenue were in danger of catching fire. The fire did not spread from the restaurant.

Miller's Fine Jewelers, Real Nails & Waxing & Tanning, JJ's Aquarium and Ginger's sustained smoke damage.