A Centre Region restaurant was temporarily closed on Wednesday after an early morning fire.
Outback Steakhouse, 1905 Waddle Road in Patton Township, sustained smoke, water and “relatively minor” structural damage inside, along with damage to the exterior roof and soffit, Alpha Fire Company Assistant Chief Rusty Schreiner said. The second alarm fire that broke out just after 2 a.m., .
Crews arrived to find “a very large ball of fire in the dumpster area that engulfed the roof and soffit area,” Schreiner said. The fire spread to the interior of the building and firefighters forced their way in through the rear.
“They made a pretty fantastic stop on the fire,” Schreiner said.
The fire was under control within about 25 minutes after 27 firefighters from Alpha and six from Boalsburg Fire Company responded, Schreiner said. The chain restaurant was closed and no one was inside at the time.
The Centre Region Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating the cause. Schreiner said preliminary indications are that it was accidental and originated with used cleaning rags stored next to the building.
“It’s not suspicious in any way,” Schreiner said.
Centre Region Code Administration, State College Health Department, Alpha Fire Police and Patton Township police also responded to the scene.
It was not immediately clear when the chain’s State College area location would reopen. A phone call to the restaurant on Wednesday afternoon was answered by a recorded message that said it was currently closed.
An Outback spokesperson wrote in an email that the damage is still being assessed.
