Burger restaurant catches fire in Kent

KENT, Wash. — Firefighters are launching an investigation into an early morning restaurant fire in Kent Thursday.

Crews from the Puget Sound Regional Fire Authority were called to the Country Burger & Teriyaki restaurant in the 1600 block of West Meeker Street at about 3:45 a.m.

When crews arrived, smoke and flames were coming from the back of the building. Once crews knocked down the flames, they entered the building and found smoke and fire inside as well.

Firefighters cut a hole in the roof to vent the smoke.

During the fire, an overhead powerline leading to the business burned and fell to the ground. The energized line was eventually turned off by Puget Sound Energy.

No one was inside the restaurant and no injuries were reported.

The restaurant, which is owned by Sarah Kim, has been open for 13 years. She said she cried and was shocked when she first saw the damage.

Kim's daughter, Soll Park, called the restaurant a labor of love.

"It's everything you have. It's just ... you put so much effort into everything that goes into every little detail, so I kind of feel like this is just very overwhelming," said Park.

Loyal customers - like nearby business owner Manjit Chahil - were also upset.

"People are going to miss their food or miss their hospitality," said nearby business owner Manjit Chanil.

The family told KIRO 7 their business will open its doors again.

"We love the community. We drive 45 minutes to get here every morning and we just love it," said Park.

Cox Media Group