Overnight Fire at Mezzo Grille Burns Outdoor Tiki Bar

Middletown Firefighters knocked down a blaze at Mezzo Grille on Court Street Early Tuesday morning at the outdoor tiki bar.

There were no injuries during the fire which began at 2:52 a.m., as the restaurant had closed for the night, according to Fire Marshal Al Santostefano. He determined the cause was electrical.

At noon, police and fire were on scene and Middletown Area Transit riders had a view of the charred area of the outdoor bar, where the blaze had broken through the rear of the patio.

"It began in a beverage cooler wire and punched its way through," according to Santostefano. The fire damaged the south side, however, "that doesn't affect the building. It didn't get inside at all."

A posting on the Mezzo Grille Facebook page thanked the quick action of Middletown Fire, "to what could have been a much worse situation. An electrical fire at about 2 a.m. Tuesday morning with the restaurant empty, was "contained" to just the Tiki bar," it reads.

"Our plan is to quickly have the Tiki Bar rebuilt better than ever and ready for the end of June."

Mezzo Grille, including its outdoor courtyard, will open for business Thursday with live music at 7 p.m. with Nick Fradiani, according to the website.