Fire Guts Popular Seafood Restaurant After Busy Mother's Day

ESSEX, MA – A fire caused extensive damage to a popular Cape Ann seafood restaurant Sunday night, just hours after a busy Mother's Day of takeout orders.

Essex Seafood was open for takeout on Mother's Day and had a very busy day, according to their Facebook page, where customer comments thanked them for providing food for their Mother's Day celebrations.

Just before 11 p.m. Sunday night, emergency crews responded to a reported structure fire on Eastern Ave, according to the Essex Fire Department, who posted photos of the fire on their Facebook page Monday morning. Crews from Gloucester, Hamilton, Ispwich, Manchester and Wenham assisted at the scene of the fire.

According to Essex Fire Chief Daniel Doucette and State Fire Marshal Peter Ostroskey, the fire was caused by a gas heater. According to officials, the fire started over a counter where there was a 15- to 20-year-old ceiling-mounted gas heater which had been left running overnight after the restaurant closed.

The fire caused an estimated $250,000 in damage.

There were no injuries reported.

Essex Seafood posted an update after the fire on its Facebook page and said the fire caused extensive damage. The popular seafood restaurant assured customers it will keep them updated on next steps.

"We want to send a very heartfelt thank you for the amazing response by the Essex Fire Department, Essex Police Department, and everyone else involved, including the surrounding towns fire and safety crews," the company said in the post.