Burned wire in kitchen forces Durham restaurant to briefly evacuate

An electrical issue forced the brief evacuation of a popular restaurant at Durham’s The Streets at Southpoint mall late Saturday afternoon.

Durham firefighters responded at 4:23 p.m. to a fire alarm at The Cheesecake Factory at 6910 Fayetteville Road, said Acting Division Chief Jeff Roberts of the Durham Fire Department.

Firefighters found smoke in the kitchen and dining room that was caused by burned wire and insulation near the kitchen’s coolers and an outside wall, Roberts said.

No injuries were reported. Part of an outside wall suffered moderate damage when firefighters had to get access to the electrical issue, Roberts said.

Firefighters were at the scene for about 90 minutes, according to Roberts.

The restaurant reopened Saturday night and is open as usual on Sunday.

This story was originally published July 28, 2019 at 11:20 AM.