O’Dell Isaac – The Gazette (Colorado Springs, Colo.)
A longtime fixture in the Colorado Springs food scene is closed following a two-alarm fire Sunday.
The damage to Señor Manuel Mexican Cuisine, located at 4660 N. Nevada Ave., was still being assessed Monday, according to restaurant ownership.
Fire crews arrived at the scene at about 9 p.m. Sunday and called a second alarm after seeing flames spreading through the attic, CSFD officials said. Nearly 70 firefighters responded to battle the blaze, which was declared under control at about 9:45 p.m. There were no injuries to firefighters or civilians, according to the department.
The cause and origin of the fire had not been determined as of Monday afternoon.
Founded by Manuel and Lucy Hernandez and currently run by their children, Mika and Mark, Señor Manuel survived COVID-19 (with help from the government’s Paycheck Protection Program) by transitioning to Uber Eats and Grubhub, which it had already been offering before the pandemic struck in 2020.
The restaurant website states the family-owned eatery has been in operation for 53 years.
On Monday, a sign on the restaurant’s front door warned that the area was still part of an ongoing investigation. Charred wood and broken glass could be seen around the exterior of the building, while the owners and several employees assessed the damage inside. The Hernandez family said it’s too early to tell when, or if, the restaurant will reopen and declined to comment further.
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