A shuttered restaurant near UC Riverside where squatters were staying caught fire Wednesday, leaving the structure heavily damaged, but no one injured.
The blaze was reported about 6:45 a.m. in the former Cask ‘N Cleaver at 1333 University Ave., just off of Iowa Avenue, according to the Riverside Fire Department.
Battalion Chief Bruce Vanderhorst said five engine crews and two truck companies — nearly three dozen personnel — were sent to the location and encountered heavy smoke pouring out of the boarded-up eatery. As firefighters arrived on scene, several “homeless … illegally camping in the structure were evacuating,” he said.
It took roughly a half-hour to contain the fire, which caused an estimated $300,000 in damage, according to the battalion chief.
There was no word on what exactly might have triggered the blaze, which remains under investigation.