Storage fire closes briefly closes eatery

A mop sitting too close to a hot water heater pilot light caused a small fire at the Cracker Box Restaurant early Monday morning, a fire official said.

At about 8:13 a.m., the Carson City Fire Department responded and quickly extinguished the fire in a storage room.

"I can't put a dollar figure on the damages because I don't know what effect it had on their business, but the damage was kept to the immediate area (of the storage closet) and only light smoke to the rest of the building," said Battalion Chief Richard Chrzanowski of the Carson City Fire Department.

Owner Gerald Massad said the fire caused him to close his doors for about 90 minutes, before reopening for his lunchtime rush.

He considers himself fortunate.

"We were very lucky," he said. "If it would have started in the middle of the night, it would be 'Cracker Box gone.'"

The building at the north corner of Stewart and Williams streets was built in 1955, and has housed the Cracker Box since 1980.