Little damage after fire at Jersey Mike's Subs in Wauwatosa, thanks to sprinkler system

WAUWATOSA --  Firefighters on Monday morning, January 18th were called out to the scene of a fire at Jersey Mike's Subs on Mayfair Road in Wauwatosa.

The call came in around 8:50 a.m.

Fire officials say a store worker was in the shop preparing food when she noticed a burning smell. She went into the kitchen area and saw visible fire coming from a gas-fed water heater located near the ceiling.

The employee immediately called 911 and warned workers in a neighboring business to evacuate.

First arriving firefighters found a single-story strip mall with light smoke within the Jersey Mike's Subs location.

The automatic sprinkler system activated prior to the arrival of firefighters.

Fire officials say there was very little fire damage in the Jersey Mike's space because the sprinkler system did what it is designed to do in this case.

The neighboring spaces were set to reopen within hours of this fire.

Jersey Mike's is expected to reopen sometime this week.

The exact cause of this fire is under investigation -- but it appears to have started in or near the natural gas water heater in the kitchen.

No one was hurt.

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