A roof fire broke out late Sunday night at Em Chamas Brazilian Grill in Kansas City's Northland, sending flames and smoke into the sky above the popular churrascaria before firefighters knocked it down in less than 30 minutes. Kansas City Fire Department crews were dispatched to the restaurant, located in the 6100 block of Northwest 63rd Terrace across from Lakeview Middle School, just before 11 p.m.
First-arriving units reported smoke and flames showing from the roof of the one-story building, according to KCTV. Crews upgraded the call to a working fire. Ladder companies deployed to the roof.
Crews Search Building, Confirm It's Clear
Firefighters knocked down the fire and placed the scene under control just before 11:30 p.m., per the KCTV report. Crews searched the restaurant's interior and confirmed the building was clear of anyone inside, and no active fire was found burning within the restaurant itself. The cause of the fire remains under investigation, the outlet notes.
Em Chamas sits inside The Village at Burlington Creek, a mixed-use commercial development in the Northland that also houses tenants including Spin! Neapolitan Pizza, Sprouts Farmers Market, and Luna Azteca, according to background compiled by The Village at Burlington Creek. The response fell under the jurisdiction of the Kansas City Fire Department, which operates 35 firehouses protecting more than 510,000 residents across 319 square miles under Fire Chief Craig Buckley, who took office in January, per the City of Kansas City, Missouri.
A Kansas City Steakhouse Institution
A Kansas City Steakhouse Institution Em Chamas operates as a steakhouse, with a kitchen and dining room.
Co-owner Sam Silvio has a personal tie to the emergency responders who handled Sunday night's call. He is identified as a founder and board member of HeroFundUSA, a nonprofit that supplies emergency safety equipment to police, fire, and EMS departments across Missouri and Kansas, according to Hero Fund USA. Silvio also drew national press attention in March 2022 when he renamed Russian-themed cocktails at Em Chamas, including swapping the Moscow Mule for a “Snake Island Mule,” following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, as reported at the time.
Restaurant Fire Safety
The fire affected the roof of a restaurant with a commercial kitchen. Investigators have not determined what caused it.
Investigators have not yet released a determination on what ignited Sunday night's fire, and it remains unclear how extensive the roof damage was or whether smoke or water affected the dining room and kitchen below. Em Chamas has not announced a timeline for reopening.
