Fire at Cheesecake Factory in Lake Grove

Diners at a Cheesecake Factory in Lake Grove evacuated the restaurant when a fire broke out Saturday afternoon, the Nesconset Fire Department chief said. No one was injured when the Smith Haven Mall restaurant emptied out after someone smelled smoke and pulled the fire alarm, Nesconset Fire Chief Tod Hutchinson said.

"They got out of the building and were able to find it and knock it down," Hutchinson said.

Five fire departments and about 60 firefighters responded to the call at 2:43 p.m.

The source of the fire wasn't immediately apparent, so firefighters used infrared cameras to locate the fire in the rooftop storeroom between the restaurant's ceiling and roof.

Firefighters ripped out the storeroom's flooring to put down the fire, which took about 45 minutes to extinguish.

Damage to the building, which is detached from the main mall, appeared to be cosmetic but its gas was shut off and fire marshals are still investigating what caused the fire. The restaurant was closed.