Fire at 661 Mass. Ave. / Rose Udics photo

UPDATED,  June 29: Emergency crews responded to a two-alarm fire in Arlington about 10 a.m. Thursday, April 29, YourArlington partner Patch has reported.

The fire at 663 Mass. Ave. caused an estimated $500,000 damage to Thai Moon restaurant, Chief Kevin Kelley told YourArlington.  Since then, a fund-raiser seeking $10,000 has reached $21,616 as of June 29.

The cause is under investigation but appears to have started in the kitchen, where there was major fire damage, with smoke damage throughout, and it appears to be a total loss, he said. The town website published Chief Kelley's account >>

Upstairs neighbor's praise

Juhan Sonin, owner of GoInvo, a digital design studio above Thai Moon, said he saw the smoke billowing into his business. "I knew it was not an electrical fire," he said in a telephone interview.

Downstairs, he saw Thai Moon staff, who told him it was a kitchen fire. He was told no one was hurt.

Sonin had high praise for Arlington firefighters, who he said were "apologetic" because they had to knock down walls to stem the fire's spread. They were "phenomenal, excellent," he said, keeping other buildings from "going up in flames."

The studio that addresses health-care issues has been at 661 Mass. Ave. for 12 years. Thai Moon has been in town 16 years.

There were two alarms, with assistance from Cambridge, Medford, Belmont and Winchester.

The call came in at 9:44 a.m., and the main body of the fire was knocked down quickly.

Police reported about 10:15 a.m. that Mass. Ave. from Pleasant to Mill was closed. It reopened at 12:46 p.m.

A GoFundMe site has been established to support Thai Moon >>

Feb. 7, 2020: East Arlington garage, house fires investigated
 

This news summary was published  Thursday, April 29, 2021, and updated June 29, to update fund-raising total.