James McGrath, a DPW employee who operates the city’s street sweeper, was eagle eyed on Wednesday as he was driving along Park Street a little after 4 o’clock in the morning. He noticed a burning smell and thought it was coming from the street sweeper. But then he spotted a fog or haze and saw smoke coming from around the light fixtures in the soffits of the building at 1 Bank Street where the Burger Diner is located.

“He was paying attention,” said Peekskill Fire Chief Jim Seymour. “At that time of day, who would’ve known it was happening?” The call came into the fire station two blocks away, at 4:19 a.m.

When the three Peekskill fire trucks arrived along with trucks from the Buchanan, Yorktown, Lake Mohegan, and the Veteran’s Administration fire departments, they saw that the fire started in the kitchen. The smoke was pushed out to the front of the building and into the attic space which then spread to the two other businesses that are in the same building; El Bambu Restaurant and Peekskill Mini Market, said Seymour.

The investigation showed that an electrical outlet malfunctioned where the commercial coffeemaker is plugged in. “My guess is that it was smoldering for about 15 to 20 minutes,” said Seymour.

The Burger Diner has “signification damage from fire, heat, smoke and water,” said Seymour. He added that ceiling tiles have fallen down when firefighters got into the attic.

Margarita Lopez, owner of Burger Diner, said her eight employees will be without work for an undetermined time. She can’t estimate how long the repairs will take. While she does have insurance, she said she’s having issues with it. She started a GoFundMe page to help with the expenses not covered by insurance and to compensate her employees while they aren’t working. The GoFundMe page has raised $1,000 of the $95,000 requested as of Thursday morning. She said she came up the dollar amount as an estimate, knowing that re-opening will require more than that.

Lopez, who was married June 1 at City Hall, said she was planning on a wedding reception in August, but has to cancel that now due to everything going on with the restaurant.

In her GoFundMe post she wrote, “We are deeply saddened by the incident and the extent of the damages it has caused. However, we are immensely grateful to share that no one was hurt during this distressing event. In light of the damages, we must regrettably inform you that we will be closed for an extended period while we assess, repair, and restore our beloved establishment. We understand the importance of Burger Diner in our community, which is why we humbly ask for your support. We have set up this donation page in the hopes of one day reopening our doors. Your generosity will play a vital role in helping us rebuild and continue serving this wonderful community. We would also like to express our deepest appreciation for the kind words and unwavering support we have received thus far. Your continued presence and encouragement are sources of great strength for us. We promise to keep you updated on our progress as we navigate through this challenging time. From the bottom of our hearts, we thank you for standing by our side and believing in our ability to rise from the ashes.”