'Strange Circumstances' May Surround Fire At Larry's Diner: Mayor

PLAINFIELD, IL — The former Larry's Diner building was ablaze Monday evening, and the circumstances around the fire may be "strange," Plainfield Mayor John Argoudelis said.

Larry's Diner, first opened in 2000, closed in May 2023. Last fall, investors bought the building and planned to remodel and reopen it as a Japanese restaurant. But when the owners went to the village, they found out it would cost an "enormous amount of money" to update the building to comply with the modern standards set by the village code, the mayor told Patch.

"They were a little taken aback by the amount of upgrades they'd need to do to comply with the current code," he said. "Apparently it was going to be a lot of money to put into this thing."

RELATED: Fire Causes Extensive Damage To Former Larry's Diner Building

Argoudelis said it seems that "strange circumstances" surround the Monday night fire: After months of inactivity at the property, workers were on site just hours before the fire broke out.

That’s why the Plainfield Fire Protection District involved the Illinois State Fire Marshal, Chief Vito Bonomo told Patch.

“From what we understand, the owners of the property and contracted were out there that day and it may be coincidence that the fire started later in the day,” Bonomo said. “This is why we do our investigations … to figure out exactly what happened to go through if this was a maliciously set fire or if this was accidental.”

On Monday, firefighters arrived at the one-story restaurant, located at across from Settlers' Park off downtown Plainfield, within four minutes of receiving the dispatch just after 5 p.m., Patch reported.

Crews found a fire actively burning on the rear exterior of the building, including a storage shed that was against the structure. Firefighters quickly extinguished the exterior fire, but upon further investigation discovered the flames had extended into the attic space inside the restaurant, officials said.

The Plainfield Fire Protection District said the building is uninhabitable, and estimated damage exceeds $200,000.

"There may be more to the story," Argoudelis said. "I know the building was run down. It had a long history. ... That building had been a restaurant since the '50s."

Editor’s note: This article has been edited with additional information from the Plainfield Fire Protection District.