Probe continues into cause of Rosebud fire

Authorities say it could be several days before they're able to determine the cause of the Sunday blaze that ripped through downtown Naperville's Rosebud restaurant.

Firefighters rushed to the popular Italian restaurant at noon after workers alerted them to flames shooting out the kitchen ceiling inside the brick building at 48 W. Chicago Ave. Employees and about a dozen patrons were safely escorted from the building before firefighters arrived to battle the blaze for three hours.

Investigators were just beginning their work Monday afternoon, Deputy Fire Chief Mike Zywanski said, after spending much of the morning using a crane to remove the heating and air-conditioning units from the roof.

"We wanted to make sure there was no extra stress on the structure so we needed those off the roof before we sent our investigators into the kitchen to do their work," he said. "It's going to be a few days before we know much."

Rosebud corporate executive Nancy Krause said owner Alex Dana also hopes to get inside the building in the coming days to assess the damage himself. Krause said there is no talk of the restaurant moving.

"Yesterday was a very sad day at Rosebud," Krause said. "Mr. Dana loves Naperville."

Mayor George Pradel, a self-proclaimed fan of the restaurant, said he hopes the owners stay in town.

"I believe they've built up a good business at that location and I sure hope that's where they want to continue," Pradel said. "The city would do everything to help them make their decision. We'll help with anything we can do as far as being by their side as they go through permits or inspections."