Saratoga News Le Mouton Noir closed after kitchen fire during holidays By Steve Enders A fire burned through Le Mouton Noir restaurant Dec. 28, forcing the owners to close the business down during a potentially busy holiday season. The fire, according to Saratoga Fire Department investigator Don Olson, began in a storage area near the kitchen in the rear of the popular French restaurant, located at 14560 Big Basin Way, around 4:20 a.m. Olson said that arson has not been ruled out as a possible cause of the fire, which he said is still under investigation. Olson wouldn't say whether there are any suspects, and said investigators still want to survey the scene more thoroughly and interview more people who may be able to help. Damage estimates to the restaurant are unknown, and telephone calls to the restaurant's owners, Jeff and Karen Breslow, went unanswered. The couple did release a written statement, however, which says, "We will use the next several weeks to rebuild our kitchen and complete our long anticipated redecorating of the dining rooms. ... Le Mouton Noir would like to thank the Saratoga Fire Department and the community of Saratoga for their support during our recent kitchen fire." Another sign hanging outside the restaurant's entryway says the fire destroyed the entire back half of the building, which faces a parking lot south of Big Basin Way. No neighboring businesses were damaged. From that parking lot, scars left by the fire are visible on the restaurant under sheets of tarps and plywood to keep rain and people out of the burned building. Also, a badly damaged ice-maker sits outside, waiting to be disposed of with the rest of the restaurant's contents that sit in a huge Dumpster behind the building. Olson said the restaurant's burglar alarm was activated first, rather than its regular fire alarm because the fire alarm short-circuited in the fire. "They got there in a minute or two and saw the flames," Olson said of the sheriff's response. Two fire engines from Saratoga were immediately dispatched, just as the restaurant's fire alarm kicked in, also notifying the fire department. [ Back to Contents Page | Saratoga News Home Page | Archives ] This article appeared in the Saratoga News, January 13, 1999. ©1999 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.