Fire strikes Shelton diner

SHELTON, Conn. (WTNH) -- A popular Shelton diner won't be open for breakfast anytime soon after a devastating fire.

"I usually like the scrambled egg sandwich and coffee," said patron Josephine Galpin.

But Galpin and her husband Frederic will have to get their morning fill elsewhere for a while after fire gutted the popular Sassafras Restaurant in the Huntington area of Shelton around 11:00 p.m. Thursday night.

"They've been here for about 30 years, kind of an icon in Huntington Center, but unfortunately they'll be closed for a while," said Shelton's Fire Marshal Jim Tortora.

Officials have not yet determined the cause.

"They're looking at the charcoal grill," said the restaurant's owner Chris Poniros. "That's where they were, but they haven't pinpointed it yet, either."

No one was seriously hurt; a firefighter sustained a minor ankle injury.

Firefighters were able to knock the flames down in about 30 minutes.

"It seems like everything inside is okay, so, I mean, he basically said we could open up today but obviously there's no power and it needs some cleaning up," said John Litts, who also works in Huntington Plaza.

Although the inconvenience to neighboring businesses is only minimal, patrons of this iconic landmark are going to be displaced a bit longer.

"I don't know where we're going to go," said Frederic Galpin. "We'll have to pick a spot."

Poniros says he's already hungry to get back to feeding other people's hunger as soon as possible.

"As soon as possible, we'll be back, cooking for them," he said.