HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. — Cleanup was underway in Huntersville Wednesday morning after fire spread to three businesses Tuesday night.
Officials said a firefighter became disoriented inside one of the burning buildings and had to be pulled to safety through a window.
[Photos: Disoriented firefighter pulled from burning building in Huntersville]
Flames shot through the roof of the building where the Slice House Pizza restaurant is located, on Old Statesville Road, firefighters said.
The Cornelius Fire Department also responded to the fire, which spread through the attic. The fire was under control at about 9 p.m.
Two of the impacted businesses, Slice House Pizza and Laughingbrook Spellcrafting and Ancestral Arts, were closed on Wednesday.
Workers and volunteers for Laughingbrook started cleaning up and taking a look at the damage.
Officials said an electrical issue caused the fire.
Next door at Slice House Pizza, there were air scrubbers and odor processors to get rid of the smoke smell.
The pizzeria will be closed all Wednesday but will reopen on Thursday.
The owner said she is happy her restaurant was spared from major damage.
“Very thankful for the very quick response from Huntersville and Cornelius fire departments and the police department. If they didn't respond as quickly as they did there's no telling what this building would look like,” owner Cindy Trevisan said.
Fortunately, the fire didn't spread too far.
"The fire department said if it would have been the middle of the night, it would have (taken) the whole complex," said Ellen Chambers with Video Game World, which is located in the building.
The rebuilding process could take up to eight months.
"Friends, neighbors, vendors, church community, they've all stepped up and rallied around us helping to clean," Trevisan said.
There is no word when Laughingbrook will reopen.
Read more top trending stories on wsoctv.com:
- 'It ends tonight, dad': Father of man who killed 2 people feared for son's safety
- Coroner identifies pair found shot to death inside car in Rock Hill
- New bill would require North Carolinians to register bicycles, pay fee
- FORECAST: Scattered showers, mild temps ahead of cold air blast
- South Carolina Girl Scout cookie ‘good Samaritan’ arrested by DEA
Cox Media Group
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/LH3JSJEF3VBLRJLJQESEAG34AM.png)
