Staff photo/Hal Kettunen The Grand Marais Fire Department cut a hole in the roof over the Birch Terrace kitchen to completely extinguish the fire on August 24.
A popular local restaurant, the Birch Terrace Supper Club, established in 1945, was damaged by fire on Monday, August 24, 2009 and an employee was taken to the Cook County North Shore Hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation.
Birch Terrace cook Ryan Keegan made the call to Cook County Law Enforcement at 6:50 p.m., reporting a chimney fire in the kitchen. The Cook County Ambulance and Grand Marais Fire Department responded and Keegan was transported to North Shore Hospital, where he was treated for smoke inhalation and released.
When the Grand Marais Fire Department arrived on the scene, flames were visible on the roof around the chimney. Firefighters were on the scene at 6:55 and 7:00 p.m. and immediately tackled the fire in the kitchen area.
The fire department was challenged by the fact that the historic restaurant consists of several additions to the original home, which was built in 1888. Grand Marais Fire Chief Ben Silence said it was necessary to cut a hole in the roof, to ensure that the fire had not spread between roofing layers. In fact, said Silence, the fire was somewhat contained in the kitchen area by the log walls of an older section of the structure. The fire was extinguished and the fire department was clear of the scene by 8:20 p.m.
Photo courtesy of Cook County Law Enforcement Inset: The restaurant will need to replace its appliances—and a number of pots and pans.
David Larsen, who purchased the Birch Terrace in June 2007 with his brothers Brian and Don Larsen, expressed appreciation to the fire department for arriving as quickly as it did. “The fire department did a great job. If the fire had gotten into the roof, there would have been no stopping it.”
However, there was significant damage to the kitchen, said Larsen the day after the fire. “We will have to get a new broiler, probably a new stove, and the roof and flooring will have to be torn out,” he said.
Larsen said the kitchen will be closed for at least a few weeks. At press time Larsen was meeting with his insurance adjuster. He is hopeful that it won’t take too long to proceed with repairs. “It’s a terrible time for this—but there is never a good time for something like this,” he said, noting that he had just turned away a group of 16 that wanted to come for dinner.
While waiting for repair, Larsen said limited food service will be available. The Birch Terrace lounge offers pizzas, and a grill has been set up on the patio so the restaurant can serve hamburgers, brats, and chicken.
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