The Bombay Gaylord Indian restaurant caught fire early Thursday morning, resulting in a two-alarm blaze that damaged two adjoining Georgia Avenue restaurants in downtown Silver Spring.
County fire department spokesman Pete Piringer said firefighters arrived at the restaurant around 1 a.m. Thursday and encountered a heavy fire at the two-story commercial building.
The fire was concentrated at the Indian restaurant at 8401 Georgia Ave., but the blaze also damaged the Quarry House Tavern and Mandarin Chinese restaurant.
The Quarry House is located below the Bombay Gaylord and Piringer said patrons were inside the tavern when the fire started. One of them saw the fire after going upstairs to investigate the smell of smoke.
More than 100 firefighters responded to the scene and had the fire under control around 2:30 a.m., according to Piringer. An electrical problem likely caused the blaze, Piringer said. A dozen residents were displaced and one firefighter suffered a minor burn injury, he said.
Piringer said about a dozen people were living above the Chinese restaurant, but were able to escape without being injured.
“We think they’re lucky, they didn’t have smoke alarms or anything,” Piringer said. He added that the property is not zoned for residential use and the county’s housing department is investigating possible housing code violations.
The Chinese restaurant suffered the least amount of damage, Piringer said, because it had a firewall separating it from the Indian restaurant. The Quarry House sustained fire, water and smoke damage as well as structural damage from firefighters tearing out the walls to check for fire, Piringer said. A nearby gelato shop also sustained damage in the fire, according to Piringer.
Firefighters estimated the fire caused $750,000 in damages to the buildings. There was no immediate word on how long the restaurants would be closed. The Bombay Gaylord occupies a corner location at the intersection of Georgia Avenue and Bonifant Street.
All photos of the fire via Pete Piringer @mcfrspio on Twitter.