Harvest Vine Reopens Tonight After Bathroom Fire

An ill-timed meeting between a paper towel and a candle in the bathroom at Harvest Vine started a small fire Sunday at 5 p.m. reports owner Carolin Messier. The Madison Valley Basque restaurant had to close last night, but Messier says she will reopen this evening. The restaurant usually has a candle burning in the bathroom, says Messier, "but never again." She says the fire marshal told her that two other restaurants had candle-related bathroom fires in the past few months.

The fire was caught before service began, says Messier; a manager smelled the smoke in the storeroom, and initially thought it might be from an electrical fire. One of Messier's employees discovered the fire in the bathroom and went in with some fire extinguishers. One wall was singed, says Messier, but smoke and dust went everywhere.

Staff closed the restaurant last night and spent hours washing every wall, chair and dish in sight. The linen acoustic ceiling in the dining room has been Febreezed twice, says Messier, the drapes are at the cleaner's and the bathroom is being repainted. In addition to losing an evening's worth of business, she's still not sure whether insurance will cover any of the cleanup. "Thank god it was not a Saturday," she says. "It was a sunny Sunday where we probably would have had a light evening anyway." Harvest Vine will open as usual this evening, she says. "We would love your support."
· Harvest Vine [Facebook]
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