Old SLO BBQ temporarily closes restaurant after fire. What caused the blaze?
A beloved downtown San Luis Obispo restaurant temporarily closed after a small fire on Sunday night.
The ventilation system at Old SLO BBQ Co. caught fire at about 7:18 p.m. on Sunday, San Luis Obispo City Fire Department Chief Todd Tuggle said.
The ventilation system sucks in the kitchen’s cooking smoke and dispenses it outside. Sometimes, grease can accumulate in the system and catch fire if it gets too hot — which likely caused this fire, he said.
Firefighters arrived on the scene at 7:23 p.m.
“We had pretty heavy smoke in the building on arrival,” he said.
Firefighters evacuated the building and extinguished the fire within about 10 minutes, Tuggle said.
No one was injured in the blaze.
The fire caused minor damage to the ventilation system, and the San Luis Obispo County Health Department worked with the owners on Sunday night to clean up the restaurant.
Fire crews remained on scene for about two hours to assist with cleanup and smoke removal, Tuggle said.
The restaurant, located at 670 Higuera St., was still closed on Monday at noon.
Restaurant owner Matt Pearce said the restaurant replaced the exhaust fan in the ventilation system, and he is waiting for the city to complete certain inspections. He hopes to re-open as soon as Monday afternoon.
“I’m still hopeful that we can get open for dinner tonight,” he said.
In the meantime, he encouraged patrons to visit the restaurant’s other San Luis Obispo location at 3870 Broad St.
This story was originally published January 6, 2025 at 1:05 PM.
