A fire destroyed the Chiang House restaurant early morning Saturday, March 9, causing $750,000 in damage.
The Albemarle Fire Marshal's Office ruled the fire accidental, Fire Marshal Mark K. Spicer said in a press release.
According to the Seminole Trail Fire Department Web site, the fire consumed the roof and attic area of the Chinese and Japanese restaurant, located at 1240 Seminole Trail, off Route 29.
The fire started around 11:45 Friday evening in a wall after employees used a propane torch to solder pipes in the restroom of the building, Spicer said.
The fire had spread to the roof before employees noticed smoke coming from the building's ceiling tiles around 1:45 a.m. Saturday.
They attempted to call 911 but were unable to use the telephone. Investigators later found that the phone lines ran through the restaurant's ceiling and had been damaged by the fire, Spicer said.
Albemarle Police Officer Marcus Baggett, however, noticed smoke coming from the area and responded to the fire.
Baggett "assisted in removing the five individuals that remained in the building," Spicer said. "Seminole Trail Volunteer Fire Department arrived within minutes."
Units from the Earlysville, Charlottesville and Stony Point Fire Departments, the Charlottesville Albemarle Rescue Squad and the Fire Marshal's Office also responded.
The roof began to collapse five minutes after firefighters entered the building, according to the Seminole Trail Fire Department's Web site.
Firefighters "remained on the scene until 7 a.m. and returned later in the day to extinguish spot fires in the rubble," the Web site added.
University students out of town on Spring Break returned to the news of the loss of the popular restaurant.
After passing the charred remains of the building, first-year College student James Rhodes said he was shocked at "seeing how some things change while you're gone for a week."
The Chiang family that owned the restaurant could not be reached for comment.
Damages caused a complicated investigation.
Extensive fire damage and large debris collapsing into the building required that a crane be brought in before investigators could begin to work inside the building, Spicer said.
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