Ricardo's Fire

Monday night a fire broke out at one of my favorite eastside restaurants, Ricardo's.

Erie firefighters were called to Ricardo's restaurant, 2112 East Lake Road, at 10:46 p.m., less than two hours after the restaurant had closed for the night. They found smoke pouring out of the building, and flames were visible.

The heaviest smoke was coming from the west side of the building in the food-preparation area.

On Tuesday Erie Chief Fire Inspector Guy Santone said he traced the origin of the fire to a clothes dryer vent in the northwest corner of the restaurant and ruled the fire accidental.

The fire caused significant damage to the restaurant. Fire damaged the rear portion, including the food-prep area and the kitchen, Santone said. The 4,818-square-foot dining area also received some fire damage, but smoke caused the majority of damage in that area, he said.

The restaurant will be closed indefinitely. But owner Pete West and business partner Cathy Merski said Ricardo's will return.

"All in our hearts, we're hoping to get it running again. It's all family and friends," Merski said.

"We'll be back," West added. "If the building is no good, we'll build one next door. But smaller."

Ricardo's opened on East Lake Road in 1943. West began working there in 1964, and he purchased the business in 1989. Merski has spent 29 years at the restaurant, including the last 15 as West's business partner.

Business at the restaurant has been good, the owners said. They just finished a busy weekend, and they spent Monday hosting a funeral wake, Merski said.

Many regular patrons stopped by Ricardo's on Tuesday to view the damage and to offer encouraging words to West and Merski. Many shared memories of special moments there.

Source: GoErie