Fire Destroys Interior of Burger Joint Big Tomy's in West L.A.
The air in the parking lot of the classic West Los Angeles burger joint Big Tomy's was thick with smoke this Friday morning, after a fire that started behind the grill got out of control and began to burn within the walls. Shortly after the fire got out of control at around 10 a.m., first responders from the Los Angeles Fire Department's 37th and 59th stations arrived on the scene, taking only 15 minutes to get the fire under control. Though their arrival time was quick, one of the first responders told the Corsair that by the time they had arrived, the fire had already entered the wall above the kitchen.
Though the fire was extinguished quickly, the damage to the interior of Big Tomy's was severe. The roof above the kitchen and serving area was completely destroyed in the blaze. Firefighters tore the corrugated metal siding apart to extinguish the fire as fry cook Antonio Pereyra looked on. Pereyra, an employee of Big Tomy's for 35 years told us, "[The fire] started behind the grill, we tried to put ice cubes on it but that didn't work... at least no one got hurt."
Big Tomy's proprietor does not wish to make any public comments at this time, though he was visibly distraught as he rallied his employees in the seating area. A close friend of the owner, who gave his name as Dino, told us, "He called me and told me, 'My restaurant is on fire!' So I came right over."