Sacramento Metro firefighters battle early morning blaze at Citrus Heights restaurant

A fire at El Tapatio Mexican Restaurant in Citrus Heights Wednesday morning has been ruled an accident, according to Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District officials.

Metro Fire spokesman Capt. Parker Wilbourn said there were a number of oily rags in a bucket and it is believed that those spontaneously combusted around 7 a.m. at the restaurant located in the 5600 block of Sunrise Blvd. in Citrus Heights.

Wilbourn said that 15 to 20% of the building was affected by the fire, but a vast majority of it was saved. The restaurant was unoccupied when the fire started.

“I can’t give you an exact quote, but I can say there was thousands of dollars in damage and thousands of dollars in potential revenues lost because the structure of the building is not able to be inhabited,” Wilbourn said.

The restaurant will be closed until they can be recertified by the county, according to fire officials.