“Fire destroys popular Methuen restaurant” |
| Fire destroys popular Methuen restaurant Posted: 25 Dec 2010 09:20 PM PST METHUEN — The phone rang as Michel Asmar lay in bed about 8:15 a.m. yesterday. The 64-year-old restaurateur had planned to enjoy Christmas by eating a nice meal with his family. He answered the phone, and it was the police. They told him his business, Shadi's Restaurant & Lounge, was on fire. "I said, 'How bad?' They said, 'Bad,'" Asmar recalled. The city resident made it to the popular eatery at 58 Osgood St. within minutes, where he watched flames destroy his business of 19 1/2 years. "That's my livelihood. That's my life," he said. Nobody was hurt in the one-alarm blaze, firefighters said. Asmar gathered with more than a dozen family members and friends as the building burned. Supporters consoled him. Firefighters said the building was a total loss. Building Commissioner Gerald Deschene ordered it to be razed this week. Fire Capt. Michael Buote, the city's fire investigator, said he isn't sure what caused the fire, but it appeared to be an accident and started in the kitchen. "We saw that there was excessive grease in the kitchen that most likely contributed to the fire," he said. Asmar said the last time anybody was in the building was 5 p.m. on Christmas Eve, when they closed for the holiday. He said he has no idea how the fire started. "I can't figure it out," he said. Shadi's is located across the street from the Fire Department's headquarters. Deputy fire Chief William Barry said he was sitting at his desk doing administrative work and happened to look out the window and notice the smoke. "From the time I looked out the window to the time we got there was well under a minute," he said. Barry said they encountered heavy fire and smoke throughout the building. Firefighters had just changed shifts between 7 and 7:30 a.m. They enter and exit through the rear parking lot of the fire station, which overlooks Shadi's, and didn't notice the fire at that time, said fire Chief Steven Buote, the brother of Capt. Michael Buote. Assessing records show the building was built around 1850. Additions have been made over the years, and Capt. Buote said that made it tough to fight the fire because the building had multiple sections, and firefighters had to continuously rip up walls and the roof. "It was a stubborn fire," he said. The establishment is frequented by city officials and politicians, in addition to a loyal following of local patrons. Among those who visited the scene yesterday were Mayor William Manzi, state Sen. Steven Baddour, police Chief Joseph Solomon, and City Solicitor Peter McQuillan. "Nobody got hurt, but on the other hand, it's like losing a lifeline," said longtime patron Teddy George, 67, of Lawrence. "It was a landmark." The restaurant specialized in American and Middle Eastern food. Asmar immigrated to the United States from Lebanon 33 years ago and ran two restaurants — one at the corner of Jackson and Berkeley Streets in Lawrence and the Red Tavern in downtown Methuen — before opening Shadi's. He named Shadi's after his son. Asmar said it's too soon to figure out what he'll do next. He leases the building from Ronald Pitocchelli, who was also at the fire scene yesterday. The property is assessed at $397,600, according to municipal records. Firefighters remained on scene until about 5 p.m. Capt. Buote said the fire remains under investigation by himself, the state Fire Marshal's office and police Officer Matt Bistany. • • • Join the discussion. To comment on stories and see what others are saying, log on to eagletribune.com. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
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