Jim's Steaks fire: Electrical wiring caused blaze that forced cheesesteak shop to close, officials say
PHILADELPHIA - Electrical wiring caused the devastating fire that has temporarily shut down Jim's Steak on South Street, according to Philadelphia fire officials.
Fire crews responded to a multi-alarm fire at the famous cheese steak shop Friday morning. They battled the blaze for several hours as smoke billowed from the windows and back of the shop.
Fire Commissioner Adam Thiel said the fire moved through the HVAC unit, making it difficult to quickly extinguish.
Jim's assistant manager says she noticed it was extremely warm inside when she arrived at the building Friday morning. While waiting for an air condition repair worker, she noticed the smell of smoke and exited the building with other workers.
Fire officials determined the cause of the fire to be electrical wiring on Monday, according to a tweet by Philadelphia Fire.
Investigators have yet to say where in the shop the fire started.
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Jim's Steaks' president Kenneth Silver has since vowed to rebuild the shop, and support his staff in the meantime.
"We will be back," Silver said. "We are definitely rebuilding, and doing it as quickly as possible."