Fire heavily damages east Charlotte restaurant
A fire heavily damaged El Paisano restaurant on Albemarle Road in east Charlotte early Thursday.
Firefighters were called to the Mexican restaurant about 3:45 a.m.
It took at least 50 firefighters about 30 minutes to control the blaze, Capt. Dennis Gist of the Charlotte Fire Department said.
The fire closed Albemarle Road initially. All lanes have been reopened.
The cause of the fire is still being investigated, Gist said.
Joe Marusak: 704-358-5067, @jmarusak
This story was originally published March 17, 2016 at 5:53 AM with the headline "Fire heavily damages east Charlotte restaurant."