Morning fire temporarily closes a Columbia McDonald’s

A Saturday morning kitchen fire shut down a Columbia fast-food chain for several hours.

Around 10:30 Saturday morning, the Columbia Fire Department said a grease fire started in the kitchen of the McDonald’s on Rangeline and Smiley Lane.

Customers and employees were evacuated from the the building.

Battalion Chief John Metz with the Columbia Fire Department said when crews got to the scene, the fire was above a kitchen fryer and in the vents.

“There was actually very little smoke inside the business,” Metz said. “There was smoke coming from the duct work on the roof of the building. We put a crew on the roof and they did have fire visible in the duct work.”

He said it only took about 15 minutes for firefighters to put out the blaze.

The cause of the fire is under investigation and damages are estimated to be around $15,000.

The manager of the McDonald’s told ABC 17 News it re-opened to customers around four Saturday afternoon.