Sacramento Metro firefighters battle two-alarm fire at North Highlands restaurant
Firefighters on Monday battled a two-alarm fire at a restaurant where flames had burned through the roof of the business in the Old Foothill Farms portion of North Highlands.
The fire was reported shortly before 5:40 p.m. Monday at the restaurant near Madison and Walnut avenues, a block east of Auburn Boulevard, according to the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District.
Sacramento Metro Fire spokesman Capt. Parker Wilbourn said the restaurant, Pho Bac Hoa Viet, appears to no longer be in business, but he couldn’t confirm that Monday evening. The restaurant at 5060 Madison Ave. is listed online as permanently closed.
Firefighters launched an initial attack on the blaze before falling back to a defensive stance after embers were seen coming from where flames had burned through the roof, according to Metro Fire radio traffic.
About 6:45 p.m. Monday, Sacramento Metro Fire announced firefighters had the blaze under control. Crews worked through the night to completely extinguish the fire.
The Fulton-El Camino Park Police in a social media post said one of its rangers, John Mohamed, entered the “fully engulfed” building before fire personnel arrived, and helped rescue a man inside the building who was having difficulty exiting the structure.
“With no regard for his own safety, Ranger Mohamed entered the smoke filled building and rescued the male,” the agency wrote. “Once out, Ranger Mohamed re-entered the structure while the roof was collapsing to ensure no other people were inside.”
Park police said Mohamed suffered mild smoke inhalation and was treated at the scene. Wilbourn confirmed one person was treated for smoke inhalation and quickly released, and that no other injuries were reported.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation, Wilbourn said Tuesday morning.
This story was originally published May 2, 2022 at 7:16 PM.
