Fire causes minor damage on exterior of Natili North building
Employees of Natili North in Butler noticed the smell of smoke in the walls at around 2:45 p.m. Wednesday, May 17, which prompted a response from firefighters.
Chris Switala, chief of the Butler Bureau of Fire, said everyone was able to get out of the building without injury Wednesday, and the interior of the restaurant and an adjoining store were not damaged by fire or smoke.
According to Switala, the businesses were not severely damaged because the fire started outside, in a space between two buildings.
“They had some debris that accumulated in between the buildings, and so the fire was there and it just smoked inside,” Switala said. “There is no smoke damage other than a little odor.”
The restaurant closed for the remainder of the day Wednesday, and employees were unsure if it would be open Thursday.
Switala said the origin of the fire is not yet known, but it was simple to extinguish once firefighters found it.
“They could see the smoke inside, but there was nothing really flaming on the outside,” Switala said. “Once they identified the source being on the outside, they could extinguish it. They just took a while to have the fans blow the smoke out.”
Fire departments blocked Main Street from North to Brady streets while dealing with the fire. The departments cleared the scene at around 4:15 p.m.
Butler police, Butler Ambulance Service, Butler Township Volunteer Fire District and the VA Butler Healthcare Fire Department also responded to the scene.
