Fire rips through North Philadelphia restaurant early Friday morning

Fire destroys Bella Vista Restaurant in North Philly

Philadelphia firefighters spent hours tackling a huge fire at Bella Vista Restaurant in North Philly Friday morning.

PHILADELPHIA - Firefighters worked for hours early Monday to put out a fire at Bella Vista Restaurant in North Philadelphia, with freezing temperatures and strong winds making the job even tougher.

Firefighters face challenging conditions at North Philadelphia restaurant

What we know:

The fire started quickly and spread throughout the restaurant within about an hour, according to Fenil Amin, who owns the neighboring gas station and watched the fire unfold on his surveillance cameras. 

"It started very quickly and within an hour or so the whole thing was on fire," said Amin. 

The fire department responded just before 4:00 a.m. with four engines, two ladders, two battalion chiefs and medic units, according to Daniel McCarty, executive chief of the Philadelphia Fire Department. 

"So we had four engines, we had two ladders, we had two battalion chiefs, and we also had our initial medic units going into service," said McCarty. 

Amin said, "It really picked up and I think the wind was not helping the fire department." 

The cold weather also made the job more difficult, but McCarty said crews are trained for these conditions. 

"When our firefighters, EMTs, paramedics start here in the Philadelphia Fire Department at the academy, we’re put through simulations just like what we saw this morning because we have to train to prepare for these elements. It’s not something you can just wake up for," said McCarty. 

At one point, 80 members of the department were on scene working to get the fire under control, according to McCarty. 

No one hurt, investigation underway 

No one was inside the restaurant during the fire and no injuries were reported, according to officials. 

"I’m glad nobody was in there. Everybody was out so there was no fatalities or anything. Nobody got hurt," said Derrick Butler, who saw the fire. 

The fire marshal is working with city agencies to safely take apart the building and determine the cause of the fire. 

"Our fire marshal is on scene and currently they’re working in coordination with city entities, like L&I, to essentially take this building apart piece by piece in a safe manner to not only see the magnitude of this fire. See what caused this fire, and at this time, they’re still investigating," said McCarty. 

Amin said, "I feel bad for them. I’m a business owner just like them. I hope things can work out for them, they get to the bottom of it, and I hope they reopen." 

Firefighters remained on scene for about three hours as they worked to bring the fire under control and prevent it from spreading to nearby buildings. 

What we don't know:

The cause of the fire has not been determined and investigators are still working to find out what started it.