Firefighters Battle Basement Blaze at Frances Bakery

A patron eating dinner at Roberto's Restaurant Monday night called police at 7:20 after seeing smoke at Frances Bakery & Deli, across Main Street. Then an officer reported seeing heavy smoke coming from the roof-line of the building, according to Fire Marshal Bill Davin's account.

The Stepney, Monroe and Stevenson fire companies all responded to the scene at 506 Main St.

"It turns out it was in the basement," Davin said as he placed equipment in the trunk of his car at 10:30 p.m. "The fire was contained to the basement, but there was heavy smoke damage."

Davin estimates it took firefighters 30 to 40 minutes to put out the fire.

"They were here for about another hour venting the building and checking for hot spots with a thermal imaging camera to make sure there were no hidden fires," he said.

The fire marshal said he will be back in the morning to complete his investigation.

"It's all pointing towards accidental," Davin said, "but we have to tighten some loose ends to confirm this."

Gilberto and Anabela Henriques of Huntington first opened the bakery in January. The couple looked crestfallen as they milled around the parking lot.

"The police called us at home," Anabela said. "We'll have to be closed for who knows how long. A lot of stuff has to be fixed."