By Kevin Canessa Jr.
KEARNY — A two-alarm fire caused extensive damage to the Sip ‘n Dunk coffee shop on Kearny Avenue Thursday morning and further caused smoke damage to the apartment above the local eatery, Kearny Fire Department Deputy Chief Robert Osborn said.
No one was injured in the fire, all patrons of coffee shop escaped the fire without harm and Fire Inspector Chuck Kerr was able to rescue a dog from the second-floor apartment, Osborn said.
After the fire was declared under control, Osborn allowed The Observer to tour damaged coffee shop. The room where it is believed the fire could have started was severely charred. Much of the room’s structure was built with wood. It was also abundantly clear that there were many electrical wires running above a drop ceiling in the room.
Some cooking equipment in the back of the coffee shop, including a microwave oven, a toaster oven and numerous pots and pans also appeared to be damaged.
The front of the coffee shop, where patrons sip coffee and eat, was not seriously damaged.
The smoke damage to the second-floor apartment was caused by voids in the walls that allowed fire to spread upward, according to Osborn. Several hours after the fire, Kerr was still on scene, as were the coffee shop proprietors. Osborn says Sip ‘n Dunk would be closed for the foreseeable future based on the overall damage.
