Anaheim White House Restaurant, a landmark in Anaheim, caught fire Saturday morning and firefighters are investigating the cause.
Anaheim Fire and Rescue officials received a call of a commercial structure fire in the 800 block of South Anaheim Boulevard around 4:18 a.m.
Approximately 40 firefighters from Anaheim, Orange City Fire Department, Garden Grove Fire Department and Fullerton Fire worked on extinguishing the heavy flames from the building’s roof.
The aggressive fire was knocked down thirty minutes later but fire crews continued working on hot spots throughout the three-story restaurant for nearly three hours.
Sir Bruno Serato, the owner of the Anaheim White House Restaurant, used the restaurant’s kitchen to feed 2,000 underprivileged Southern California children each night, according to a press release.
Serato is an Italian immigrant who came to the U.S. with $50 in his pocket and worked hard to open his restaurant 30 years ago, officials said.
A GoFundMe page has been created to help rebuild the restaurant. Serato has insurance, but said it will not adequately cover the rebuild nor help his employees.
A damage estimate has not yet been determined and the restaurant was not occupied at the time of the fire, according to the Anaheim Fire Department.
Anaheim Boulevard is closed to traffic in both directions between Vermont Avenue and South Street.