Ferrucci Ristorante caught fire Sunday morning. According to the Panama City Fire Department, at around 2:30 a.m., their crews were dispatched to the restaurant where they found smoke coming from a balcony in the rear of the building.
Firefighters say they quickly located and extinguished a small fire involving a planter box and handrail, which appeared to have been started by discarded cigarette butts.
โMy reaction is just complete gratitude for him for saving our business,โ said the owner of Ferrucci Ristorante Mynta Harbison. Officials say a bystander had already used a fire extinguisher to help control the flames before PCFD arrived. The local hero was Kelso Sauers, who works at Moseyโs across the street.
โI get outside and then I saw how quick everyone else is moving to get over there so I started running,โ Sauers told NewsChannel 7. โThey say to aim at the base of the flame, so I just started with the floor and started walking toward everything else.โ
Harbison said she anticipates that sheโll be seeing more of Sauers in the future and that sheโs thankful for the downtownโs close-knit community.
โIt happened so fast, like his reaction time and what he did was absolutely incredible,โ Harbison said of Sauers act to save her business. PCFD is reminding the public that having a fire extinguisher on hand can make a big difference in an emergency. They say be sure your extinguishers are inspected annually by trained technicians.
