Downtown restaurant closed after fire

SANDUSKY — A popular downtown Sandusky restaurant is closed after a fire broke out in the business overnight. Mr. Smith's Coffee House, located on Columbus Avenue, announced the incident in a post online Tuesday morning: "We have an emergency and need to be closed today," the post states. "No one is hurt, but there was a fire inside the shop sometime overnight, evidence of which was found by opening staff. The fire department is here assessing, and we will be busy dealing with this for the foreseeable future. We will update as we can." Staff stood outside the restaurant Tuesday morning as crews worked to examine the damage inside the building. "We're in assessment mode right now," Smith's co-owner Trent Beard said, adding there will need to be an extensive cleanup process to remove debris and soot. Beard said it appears the fire was electrical and a curtain in the building was ignited. The restaurant's ceiling has fire-retardant properties and apparently prevented a larger blaze. Passerbys stopped at the restaurant to offer sympathies to the owners and staff. One woman even recited a short prayer. Beard said local residents and nearby downtown businesses have already offered them assistance as the restaurant recovers from the blaze. There was no immediate estimate on the restaurant's reopening. Beard said that they will post updates on the Mr. Smith's Coffee House Facebook page.