Kitchen fire at Gustav’s in Leavenworth sends one to hospital, causes minor damage

LEAVENWORTH – Firefighters responded to a fire reported at Gustav’s restaurant Monday evening.

According to Chelan County Fire District #3 Deputy Fire Chief Mike Smith, the kitchen fire was caused by a gas leak sparked by the pilot ignition on the grills. Cooking oil stored below fueled the fire.

Smith said that employees had turned off the gas but were unable to extinguish the grease fire, so they evacuated the building and called for help. The fire department responded to the downtown restaurant at approximately 8:30 p.m. and extinguished the fire within about five minutes. Cascade Medical transported one person to Central Washington Hospital for burns. The fire caused minor damage to the building.

Smith advised the public that fire extinguishers are for the incipient stage of a fire; if they aren’t putting the fire out, evacuate safely and call the fire department.

“You can still get hurt trying to do the right thing,” said Smith.

The small fire prompted memories of a historic fire that took the restaurant out in the 90s. Owners Karl and Pam Schiersch bought the building in 1981, opening Gustav’s as a tavern and small beer garden. In 1992, the building burned down in a structural fire, prompting the couple to rebuild the Gustav’s that stands today. According to Seattle Times archives, the original Gustav’s building was built as a service station in the 1930s, with the onion dome added in the 1960s.

Taylor Caldwell: 509-433-7276 or taylor@ward.media