A small fire Thursday night in the basement of the Roma Restaurant was knocked down quickly with no injuries and little damage.
Haverhill Fire Chief William F. Laliberty told WHAV a malfunctioning ice maker overheated around 7:45 p.m., and caused the small fire. The Middlesex Street restaurant was closed for cleaning-related tasks in the aftermath.
“All of the staff and diners were asked to evacuate. Roma’s staff did a great job getting everyone out safely and without any injuries,” Laliberty said. The chief said it was a “very minor fire.” The sprinkler system kicked in automatically and arriving firefighters found heavy smoke in the basement and extinguished the fire.
Firefighters remained on site until after midnight to ensure no reoccurrence, investigate and stay to help the owners with any needs. “We try to stay as long as we can and assist the community as best we can,” Laliberty said.