Savoy Grill Fire Destroys Kitchen in Historic Restaurant and Hotel by KCMB News Kansas City

Savoy Grill Fire Destroys Kitchen, Closes Restaurant

A devastating fire raged through the kitchen of the Savoy Grill on Thursday afternoon, causing restaurant patrons and employees to flee the building. The fire destroyed most of the basement kitchen at the hotel and subsequent smoke damage permeated the rest of the historic restaurant. The Kansas City Fire Department made excellent response time and the fire was quickly extinguished. No one was injured in the fire, but several people were forced to evacuate not only the Savoy restaurant, but the adjoining Savoy Hotel. The fire was reportedly started by a kitchen worker who "had started cooking and was not paying attention".

The Savoy Grill will be closed for repairs indefinitely and owner Don Lee told KCMB News that "the floor would need a little wax and it might take awhile". In April, Lee had already announced that the Savoy Grill and Hotel would be sold by year's end. Lee purchased the Savoy in 1960 and has kept both the restaurant and the hotel running constantly ever since. The Savoy Hotel, located in the same building as the Savoy Grill, has several permanent residents who had to evacuate the building when the Savoy fire caused the power to go out. The Hotel itself was not damaged and the Savoy fire was contained to the basement kitchen. The restaurant was not physically damaged but did close due to the overwhelming smoke.

Known as the longest consistently operating hotel and restaurant West of the Mississippi, The Savoy Grill and Hotel has been a downtown Kansas City staple since it opened in 1888.

Savoy fire story by KCMB Kansas City News, official kc news site with breaking stories on The Kansas City Royals, Chiefs, charity events, the 2012 MLB All Star Game, weather, sports, MU, KU, ufo sightings, dui checkpoints, Kansas City neighborhoods, nightlife, concerts, the Sprint Center, the Power and Light District and current Kansas City news articles.