Fire leaves Las Cruces restaurant covered in soot

A fire late Friday night left a Las Cruces restaurant covered in soot and closed until further notice.

“It’s not so much the fire damage, it’s the smoke damages within,” said Jodie York, who owns Bite of Belgium with her husband, Jim.

York estimates there are $15,000 worth of tapestries in the restaurant that will need to be cleaned. The restaurant does have insurance, but York said they’re not yet sure if it will cover the pay for her thirty-five employees.

“Those are thirty-five employees that we want back to work,” York said. “We love them to death and we don’t want to lose them. We understand they need their livelihood.”

The fire was mostly contained to the kitchen, which York said is because of the quick response of the Las Cruces Fire Department. There is no estimate yet on the extent of the damages, but York said she’s happy the fire happened when no employees were in the building.

“This is a family here,” York said. “Our staff is our family.”

Anyone wishing to support the York family can visit their other restaurant, Metropolitan Deli on University Avenue in Las Cruces.