Restaurant remains closed following weekend fire
HEIDI DESCH | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 6 years, 10 months AGO
Firefighters respond to a grease fire at Ciao Mambo restaurant on Saturday morning on Second Street. (Matt Baldwin/Daily Inter Lake)
DEPUTY EDITOR, FEATURES Heidi Desch is the Deputy Editor at the Daily Inter Lake, overseeing coverage of arts, culture, lifestyle, community, and business. Desch leads reporters in developing stories that highlight the people, traditions, and events shaping Northwest Montana, guiding content across print and digital platforms. With more than 20 years of journalism experience, including serving as managing editor of the Whitefish Pilot, Desch is a graduate of the University of Montana School of Journalism. She has received multiple Montana Newspaper Association awards, including part of the team leading the Daily Inter Lake to Best Daily Newspaper in Montana Award and the General Excellence Award in 2024 and 2025. IMPACT: Heidi’s work connects readers with stories that deepen the understanding of the community beyond daily news. | October 1, 2019 3:40 PM
Firefighters responded to a grease fire at Ciao Mambo restaurant on Saturday morning.
Callers to 911 reported that flames were 10 to 12 feet high coming from the exhaust stack on the roof of the Second Street restaurant.
The restaurant remains closed as a result of the fire, according to James Blystone with Glacier Restaurant Group, which owns Ciao Mambo. Blystone on Monday said contractors were in the restaurant looking at the damage.
“We’re actively assessing the damage,” he said. “We’re working as quickly as we can to re-open, but as of now we don’t have an estimate for when that will be.”
Whitefish Fire Department responded along with Big Mountain Fire, Evergreen Fire Rescue, Columbia Falls Fire and West Valley Fire and Rescue. Whitefish Fire Department, according to its Facebook page, was holding rookie training so had the help of the new recruits and two instructors, the Assistant Chief of Kalispell Fire Department and the Flathead County Emergency Manager from the Flathead Office of Emergency Services.
Whitefish Police Department and Montana Highway Patrol helped with traffic control while Second Street was closed.
Ciao Mambo opened in Whitefish in 2001.
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