An equipment malfunction caused the fire in early November in the kitchen of Sparky’s Garage Bar & Grill in Uptown Butte.
On Thursday, restoration efforts at the restaurant on East Park Street continued, focused primarily on the kitchen. Contractors on site included Elite Electrical, Brown Plumbing & Heating and others. New kitchen equipment was staged outside, wrapped in plastic and awaiting installation.
Lyle Nalivka, the restaurant’s manager, provided a rough estimate of when Sparky’s Garage might reopen.
“We’re a couple of months out,” Nalivka said.
He said restoration isn’t confined solely to the kitchen area.
“We’re working on the whole restaurant,” Nalivka said. “It will be shiny and new when we reopen.”
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He said there have been efforts to retain some staff during the closure and that business protection insurance has helped.
“But it’s not a cake walk by any means,” Nalivka said.
David and Kathie Drew of Dillon opened the restaurant in early November 2009 after remodeling and refurbishing the building. They had previously opened a Sparky’s Garage in Dillon.
Nalivka said the Drew family is serving as general contractor for the restoration work.
The restaurant’s eclectic décor taps into the appeal of nostalgia, with antique signage, vintage automobiles and the like.
The Nov. 5 fire was reported quickly around 1 p.m. by a worker who saw smoke issuing from kitchen equipment. No one was injured.
After the fire, the Facebook page for Sparky’s Garage included praise for employees and their work to keep customers safe and also commended the Butte-Silver Bow Fire Department for its quick response.
