Thursday fire closes Island Lake Inn kitchen; bar may reopen this weekend

• Island Lake Inn fire

Staff and patrons of the Island Lake Inn watch in the rain as firefighters battle a blaze inside the bar and restaurant north of Duluth a little before 8 p.m. Thursday evening. (Andrew Krueger / akrueger@duluthnews.com)

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The kitchen at the Island Lake Inn is closed until further notice, but the staff is aiming to reopen the bar this weekend after an electrical fire Thursday night caused minor damage at the restaurant north of Duluth.

Crews from at least five local fire departments responded to a fire call at the business, located at 7153 Rice Lake Rd., beginning shortly before 7 p.m. Thursday.

The fire appeared to be relatively small and quickly was contained; there were no reports of any injuries.

The bar and restaurant are owned by the Kratt family. Jillian Kratt, who manages and was at the restaurant Thursday evening, said there had been a small fire in a range hood that the staff quickly extinguished.

Several minutes later, patrons upstairs reported seeing smoke, possibly coming from inside a wall. The staff called 911, and the estimated 30 to 40 patrons were evacuated.

Gnesen firefighters were on the scene within minutes, Kratt said, followed by other departments including Rice Lake, Fredenberg, Normanna and Lakewood, along with St. Louis County sheriff’s deputies.

The restaurant recently had been renovated, Kratt said. The staff is posting updates on the business’ status on its website, www.islandlakeinn.com.

Tags: business, news, fire, food, restaurants, updates