Fire At Monroe Restaurant Labeled Arson

By Shannon Hicks

MONROE — The state fire marshal’s office was investigating this week a fire at a restaurant in Monroe.

Officials said a police officer on patrol reported a fire outside The Rustic Grille, a restaurant 494 Main Street (Route 25), within Hillside Plaza, just after 3:30 am Monday, August 8. Fire crews were able to quickly knock down the fire, but it worked its way into a storage area of the restaurant. Serious damage was reported to the kitchen and rear roof of the business. The dining room was reportedly unharmed.

Officials quickly considered the fire suspicious.

While fire officials were investigating the fire, police also were at the scene investigating what appeared to be an attempted forced entry at Frank’s Unisex Styling, located two doors south of the restaurant. Police discovered glass on the ground and it appeared that an object was thrown at the window.

“The fire department was here in six minutes, and they had the fire out real fast,” Sandy Kantzas, who with her husband John has owned and operated The Rustic Grille since December 2005, said on Wednesday, August 10. “The investigators were telling us this week that another 10–15 minutes, and the whole restaurant could have been completely destroyed, if not the whole building.”

Firefighters from Monroe, including Stepney and Stevenson, responded to the incident.

The Kantzases hope to reopen their restaurant in a few months.

“We don’t know what our timeline is,” Mrs Kantzas said this week. “Unfortunately, it could be anywhere between three or four months, at a minimum.

“We are exploring all our options to get up and running,” she added. “We have people who are willing to help us get back into business as soon as possible… but we just don’t know what that means yet.”

The building that houses The Rustic Grille, said Mrs Kantzas, suffered structural damage as well as smoke damage. By August 10, Mrs Kantzas said, investigators had labeled the fire as arson. The fire is believed to have caused $50,000 to $75,000 worth of damage.

Fire Marshal Bill Davin’s office and the Monroe Police Department are investigating the fire with assistance from the Connecticut State Fire Marshal’s Office. Anyone who saw anything unusual that morning is being asked to provide information to the Connecticut Arson Tip Line at 800-84-ARSON (842-7766). A $2,500 reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the arsonist(s).

“There was vandalism to the building before the fire, but the vandalism was toward a different business, Frank’s Salon,” said Mrs Kantzas. A window had been broken and blinds had been ignited inside that storefront. “That’s were the initial attack started. We took the [major] damage, though.”

Additional businesses within Hillside Plaza include Hometown Tool, TC Nails & Spa, and a State Farm Insurance office.

“The rest of the building took smoke damage. We took all the structure damage, which has disabled us from operating,” said Mrs Kantzas. “They all, we think, should be back up and running in a week or two.”

Another fire in Monroe, also early Monday morning, may be connected to the Hillside Plaza fire.

Police discovered a small fire behind Matt & Louie’s Barber Shop, at 258 Main Street, shortly after the fire at The Rustic Grille was discovered. The second fire was reportedly much smaller, and the objects that were lit on fire did not damage any surroundings. It had definitely been set, however.

Anyone with information on either fire is asked to call the Connecticut Arson Tip Line.

(Associated Press reports were used in this story.)