Tomasita's Restaurant will officially reopen its doors on Monday, Nov. 9, more than a month after a fire tore through the popular New Mexican spot on Pan-American Freeway and sent staff and guests scrambling out of the building. Nobody was hurt in the blaze, which broke out in September and shut the restaurant down while crews made repairs.
The fire forced an evacuation of the building, and the restaurant's owner said an electrical issue sparked the flames, according to KRQE. That outlet reported the fire was put out in about 20 minutes, while KOAT reported firefighters brought the blaze under control within 19 minutes. KOAT also reported that Albuquerque Fire Rescue responded to the restaurant's address at 4949 Pan American Freeway NE at approximately 8:13 p.m. on Sept. 30.
Conflicting Accounts of What Sparked the Blaze
Accounts of the fire's exact cause have varied across outlets covering the incident. KRQE reported that the restaurant's owner said an electrical issue caused the fire, while KOAT reported the owner believed it began in an exhaust vent and that the official origin and cause had not been confirmed as of the Thursday after the fire. KOB 4 separately reported that investigators said an electrical issue with a bathroom exhaust fan sparked the flames, according to KOB 4.
Albuquerque Fire Rescue ultimately determined the fire was accidental, the department told KRQE in a separate report on the investigation. In the days after the fire, KOAT reported the restaurant was expected to stay closed for several weeks because of roof damage, and that Tomasita's needed to repair the damage and pass electrical, utility, occupancy, and health inspections before it could welcome diners back.
Dozens of Workers Found Temporary Jobs Elsewhere
The closure didn't just affect the building — it displaced staff during one of Albuquerque's busiest stretches of the year. More than 25 Tomasita's employees found temporary work after the fire shut the restaurant down during Balloon Fiesta, with Yeller Sub and Garcia's Kitchen among the local restaurants that offered them jobs while Tomasita's was closed, per the same KOB 4 report.
After roughly a month shut down, Tomasita's posted on Facebook that it was getting ready to welcome guests back, KRQE reported. The restaurant is now set to reopen next Monday, closing the chapter on a fire that briefly displaced its staff and left the building's cause of damage described differently depending on who you asked.
