Slices Pizza to open early next week after fire

MOSES LAKE — A fire closed Slices Pizza in Moses Lake on Tuesday, according to owners John and Becky Boyer. The restaurant is expected to be closed until early next week, the couple said.

There was no significant damage, according to Moses Lake Fire Department Battalion Chief Brandon Burns, who responded to the fire.  

“The fire was actually out upon (our) arrival,” Burns said. 

The Boyers said they were lucky to have caught it early and have what they needed on hand to deal with the situation. 

“We have our chimneys swept (and) we do maintenance on our ovens,” Becky Boyer said. “The fire chief said that with these double-insulated-style chimneys, accumulation, regardless of the chimney scoop, happens, and we caught it perfectly in time.” 

The fire caught the owners by surprise, Becky said, but John was able to put it out with a fire extinguisher. 

“We had little drops of embers starting to come down,” she said. “It was scary.” 

“The flames were taller than me on the roof,” John said.  

The closure is so that the ovens and chimneys can be cleaned thoroughly to get rid of the chemicals from the fire extinguishers and to ensure there is no risk of another fire happening. The ovens at Slices are powered by gas rather than wood or electricity, so the gas lines need to be checked out as well, Becky said. 

“The bricks have to be cleaned the right way, and it has to dry,” John said. “There can't be any residue on there.” 

The Boyers chose to hire professionals to do the maintenance to ensure it was done correctly and to ensure the safety of their customers and staff. 

“We talked to a couple of people who said that we could probably do it ourselves,” Becky Boyer said. “But we just feel more confident and better knowing that we're going to get a certificate from somebody who does that, and I think the public will feel good about returning.” 

Slices is expected to reopen Monday or Tuesday, John said. 

To find out more about slices, visit https://bit.ly/SLICESML.  

    The owners and staff at Slices Pizza take care of customers on a normal day. The pizza shop is known for custom pizzas, arcade games and oven-fired pizzas.