Grease Fire Shuts Down Burger King

UPDATED (6:43 p.m. Tuesday, July 9)

A small grease fire broke out on one of the grills Tuesday at the Burger King on 159th Street, causing the fast food restaurant to temporarily shut down, according to the Tinley Park Fire Department.

No one was injured, and the inside of the restaurant suffered some smoke damage, Assistant Fire Chief Steve Klotz said at the scene.

Emergency crews responded to an alarm at 4:44 p.m. from Burger King, 7135 W. 159th St., after a grease fire started on a grill, Klotz said. By the time units arrived, most of the blaze had been extinguished by the restaurant's Ansul system, fire suppression equipment that uses foam, he said. Firefighters took care of lingering flames and used fans to clear out the smoke throughout the building, Klotz added.

The restaurant was evacuated while firefighters worked, and crews left the scene a little bit before 5:30 p.m.

The Burger King location will remain closed while it cleans the restaurant. Then, the village needs to be contacted so a health inspector can sign off on the eatery reopening, Klotz said, adding that Burger King also needs to recharge its Ansul system before it can open again.