SLO County restaurant destroyed by overnight fire. Here’s how to help
A fire destroyed a San Luis Obispo County restaurant early Friday morning, leaving its owner without a source of income.
Now Rosalba Rodríguez is looking help to rebuild the business.
Rodríguez ran Los Tamales Poblanos Mexican Food, 1773 Front St. in Oceano for 16 years. She started a fundraising campaign on GoFundMe.com on Sunday.
As of Monday morning, the GoFundMe fundraiser had raised $350 toward its $20,000 goal.
“I am a hard-working person who likes to work and help my children,” Rodríguez wrote in Spanish in the Go Fund Me description. “Anything you can help me with, I would really appreciate.”
Fire destroys SLO County restaurant
Five Cities Fire Authority firefighters arrived on the scene at about 1:30 a.m. Friday to find the restaurant fully engulfed in flames, according to Five Cities Fire Authority Chief Steve Lieberman.
No one was injured in the blaze, and people in the surrounding buildings had already evacuated, he said.
According to Lieberman, the flames were so severe that firefighters couldn’t safely enter the building.
He said the team took a “defense attack,” using a massive hose to douse the flames in the restaurant and prevent the surrounding buildings from catching fire.
Within 90 minutes, the firefighters had reduced the blaze and were able to scale down their response, Lieberman said.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
Rodríguez has insurance, but she told The Tribune on Friday that she didn’t know if it would cover the cost of the damages.
How to help Oceano business owner
Folks can donate to the fundraiser at bit.ly/44YQoLz.
Jami Wozniak, a school counselor at Judkins Middle School in Pismo Beach, is coordinating relief efforts for the family, focusing on grocery and gas gift cards. Those who want to contribute can call her at 805-474-3600.
.jpeg "oceano fire _fitted (2).jpeg")
This story was originally published May 15, 2023 at 1:07 PM.
