TAMPA, Fla. (WSVN) — A celebratory moment turned into a fiery nightmare earlier this month at Mamajuana Café when a sparkler caused the entire outdoor tiki hut to burn down.
On April 6, the incident was captured on surveillance cameras and showed employee and patron scrambling as flames engulfed the Tampa dining spot. Although firefighter tirelessly battled the blaze, the structure was reduced to ashes.
Miguel Guzman, the owner of Mamajuana Café Tampa was shocked over the incident.
“We took every precaution when we did the tiki — getting all the protective services, like the fire retardant, everything. It was just something out of a movie,” he said.
Despite the tragedy to his restaurant, Guzman said he is just glad everyone was safe.
“It was not done intentionally, you know. None of us. This is our livelihood, you know, we all eat from Mamajuana, and it was just a catastrophe,” he said.
Rob Herrin from Hillsborough County Fire Rescue shared the risks associated with sparklers.
“Sparklers can be fun, but they can be fun if used safely,” he said. “If you see fire, get out and stay out. I saw, you know, there’s a clip on the video of, some employee trying to put the fire out. You’re not going to you’re not going to win that battle. We want you to be safe. We want you out.”
Although the fire left the restaurant in rubble, Guzman remained optimistic.
“The tiki of course — it’s just gone. It’s ashes. But our restaurant, we’re … Thank God nothing happened,” he said.
The owner said the restaurant will now take all the safety precautions to open back up and serve their community once again.
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