Thanks to alert passersby and the quick action of firefighters, a fire last week in the kitchen of Scoot’s BBQ, Hayes, that could have devastated the business, instead resulted in relatively minor damage.

Abingdon Volunteer Fire and Rescue was dispatched to the restaurant around 9:45 p.m. last Wednesday.

According to owner Gary Ward, the fire was contained to the outside exhaust fan and motor, spreading inside the building to a portion of the hood system and setting off the fire suppression system, delaying the spread of the fire. Multiple passersby saw flames and immediately called 911, he explained, and AVFR was on the scene within minutes.

After AVFR units arrived on scene, they requested mutual aid, which was answered by Gloucester Volunteer Fire and Rescue Squad and York County. According to AVFR Training Captain Drew Luellen, the fire took less than five minutes to put out, using less than 200 gallons of water.

Crews stayed on scene after extinguishing the fire for about an hour to check for fire extension in the attic, while also conducting ventilation due to persistent light smoke conditions observed from the roof and vents, Luellen explained. To confirm complete extinguishment, thermal imaging cameras were used throughout the building.

The fire was contained to the kitchen, the room of origin, in the back of the building, with minimal extension to the attic and ceiling, and appeared to originate around the oven/range and hood, said Luellen. There were no injuries on scene.

“We owe so much gratitude to the citizens and first responders that showed up within minutes,” said Ward. “Without the effort of everyone and God’s timing, we would have absolutely lost the entire structure.”

He explained the focus is now satisfying commitments for scheduled events as well as keeping all staff employed and earning income, with the goal of being back open fully in three to five weeks.

“As I’ve said for years,” said Ward, “we get a lot of praise since we’re such a public business, but without a doubt none of this can be achieved without the support of our incredible community. We love our community.”