Fire caused extensive damage to a restaurant near the Belt and Faraon Thursday afternoon.

Officials believe the New Super China Buffet could reopen by the middle of next week, but first the restaurant operators have to complete some extensive repairs and pass several inspections by city officials.

St Joseph Fire Department Inspector Steve Henrichson tells us the fire was caused by extensive accumulation of grease in the hoods above the fryers in the kitchen. Mr Henrichson says one of two hood vents in the kitchen started the fire, and the other one was completely melted away by the heat from the fire. He says the new hoods will have to be spotless before he will okay the reopening of the restaurant.

Henrichson says most restaurants, including this one, are only required to clean the hoods and vents once every six months. But if they do a lot of frying, they have to have them cleaned more often.

“We’d much rather have them pay $300 or so for a cleaning than the much more expensive fire, smoke and water damage that occurs during a fire,” Henrichson says. “For example, McDonalds restaurants use their fryers 24 hours a day. They are required to have the hoods and vents cleaned every month.”

That will soon very likely be the case for this restaurant as well. Mr Henrichson says fire inspectors will inspect the restaurant after it has been open a couple of months to see how much grease has accumulated. They will then determine how often the vents and hoods have to be cleaned.

Henrichson initially estimated fire damage at more than $40,000. The final figure will likely be much higher than that. After additional inspections, especially on the roof, Henrichson found more damage than he’d originally looked at. Actual repairs to the restaurant will also include damage not caused by fire, including smoke and water damage, which will raise final price tag for repairs.

There were about a dozen tables occupied when the fire alarms went off, and the patrons had evacuated by the time firefighters arrived. No one was hurt.