Kitchen fire closes Bay Shore's popular Mexican restaurant Verde Kitchen & Cocktails for a time
Verde Kitchen & Cocktails on East Main Street in Bay Shore will not reopen until the Suffolk County Health Department and the Town of Islip Fire Marshal give the approval. Credit: Paul Mazza
A kitchen fire early Thursday morning forced the closure of a popular Mexican restaurant in Bay Shore, according to police and fire officials.
The fire broke out around 1:17 a.m. at Verde Kitchen & Cocktails on East Main Street when the restaurant was closed and unoccupied, said Bay Shore Fire Department Chief John Ippolito Jr.
When Fire Department officials arrived on the scene, they found a blaze in the kitchen that they were able to hold back with a fire extinguisher until the first two engines arrived on the scene, Ippolito said.
The fire was contained to the kitchen area and was fully extinguished in less than an hour, he said.
There were no injuries and the cause of the fire, he said, is not believed to be criminal.
Two apartments above the restaurant were temporarily evacuated but the residents were subsequently permitted to return, the chief said.
The restaurant will remain closed until the Suffolk County Health Department and the Town of Islip Fire Marshal provides them with the approval to reopen, Ippolito said.
Messages left with Verde Thursday evening were not returned.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
Robert Brodsky is a breaking news reporter who has worked at Newsday since 2011. He is a Queens College and American University alum.
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