As the result of a small fire on Saturday, Isla Vista Silvergreens fans may now have to make like Jared this week and head to Subway.

The restaurant, along with Beat the Bookstore and Incipient Wireless, all of which are located at 900 Embarcadero Del Mar, was evacuated Saturday afternoon after an outdoor electrical box caught on fire. I.V. Foot Patrol squad cars blocked traffic from Pardall Road and Embarcadero Del Mar while crews from three nearby fire stations responded to the flames. The fire was completely extinguished within half an hour, and while the streets were reopened, the three businesses remain temporarily closed and marked off with caution tape.

Santa Barbara County Fire Dept. Battalion Capt. Jerry Kuras said the businesses will remain closed until the cause of the fire is more fully determined.

“All the streets have opened up, but the building is still evacuated until we can determine the electrical problem,” Kuras said. “All we’ve got it down to is that is was an electrical mechanical failure.”

Pedestrians alerted police to the smoke and several I.V. residents were witness to the event, which attracted a total of three firetrucks, four police cars and one ladder vehicle. Second-year biology major Carina Pappu was working behind the counter at Java Jones, directly across the street from 900 Embarcadero Del Mar, when customers began to notice the smoke.

“There was a line to the door at the time,” Pappu said. “It was super busy, and then suddenly there was smoke and a fire truck. Everyone thought Silvergreens was on fire.”

Pappu said the confusion caught her offguard, stating that the incident was a rare sight in I.V.

“Everyone was really surprised,” Pappu said. “You always see fire trucks in I.V., but you never see smoke. There were people coming out of the building.”

Though the fire department was able to safely put out the fire, employees continue to wait for a response from Southern California Edison, the building’s power supply company, to determine the cause of the fire.

“We’re waiting for Edison to show up,” Kuras said. “They’ll determine how long [these stores] will be out of business.”

All three stores have lost power since the incident. As of press time, none of the business owners were available for comment. However, a phone call to Silvergreens results in an audio recording stating that the restaurant is closed for the week.

Print