News Reports

Fire damages Derry restaurant

By ELISE CASTELLI
Union Leader Correspondent

Thursday, Mar. 30, 2006

Derry – Firefighters doused an early morning fire at Rig A’ Tony’s restaurant yesterday.

The department responded to the take-out eatery at 38 West Broadway shortly before 1 a.m. and found smoke billowing from the back of the building, Battalion Chief David Hoffman said.

Firefighters discovered the fire in a gas-powered clothes dryer located in the business’s basement, Hoffman said. The gas was shut off as crews fought the fire and removed the dryer from the premises. Smoke and water damage was minimal, but the dryer was a total loss, Hoffman said. The fire was brought under control within 40 minutes.

There was no damage to the first floor of the business where the kitchen and dining space is located. Yesterday, Rig A’ Tony’s staff was cleaning up and airing out while awaiting a final health inspection so they could reopen.

“If it wasn’t for the quick response for the fire department we would have lost the whole building,” said Lisa DeSisto, Rig A’ Tony’s owner. She said a neighbor saw the smoke and called 911, but he refused to give his name.

“If it wasn’t for him, who knows,” she said.

The dryer was situated near paper goods and dry food storage, which could have easily set the entire structure alight, she said. Much of the restaurant’s inventory had to be thrown away, DeSisto said.

“Our vendors are bringing us new product, so hopefully we will be open tonight,” she said. “All I want to do is get back to working making meatballs and chicken parm.”

The stackable washer-dryer unit, which was used to clean aprons and linens for the business, was fairly new, she said. The restaurant was empty at the time and the dryer was not running when she left for the evening on Tuesday, she said.

“For a small mom-and-pop like us this could have been devastating,” she said. “We wake up very fortunate, even though it stinks, we’re very fortunate to have a building and a business.”