Spokane7
53°
September 1, 2010 in City
Tung Loon fire on Division may be electrical
Brothers Christian, 13, and Dustin Ainsworth, 8, pass through the parking lot, September 1, 2010, where a fire damaged the Tung Loon Garden restaurant on Tuesday night. The building, at 3627 N. Division in Spokane, Wash., suffered roof and interior damage.
(Full-size photo)
A Spokane fire investigator this morning said he is looking at the likelihood that a Tuesday night fire at Tung Loon Garden restaurant on North Division was caused by an electrical malfunction.
Fire Lt. Jimmy Bowen said the fire started in the attic structure of a decorative Mandarin-style roof that had been built above the earlier Tung Loon building at 3627 N. Division a number of years ago.
The facade was heavily decorated with neon lights, and gave off a red glow on foggy and misty nights that could be seen from around the neighborhood.
Bowen said that neon lighting has been linked to other fires around the country, but it was too early to tell if that was the cause.
The investigator was up on the roof and facade checking electrical lines at mid-morning.
“The fire generally didn’t get into the restaurant,” Bowen said. “There is a ton of water damage and some smoke damage inside the restaurant.”
He said damage could be repaired.
Firefighters responded about 10 p.m. Tuesday at the Tung Loon Garden. They had to back out as the roof was collapsing, and they extinguished the flames by pouring water from outside.
No one was injured.
County records show the building was constructed in 1960. Its owner is listed as the Chan Family Trust, with taxes paid by Tat Yuen Chan, of Spokane.
Owner Chin Ho Cho said he took over the restaurant in the early 1980s and is currently in business with the family, including his brother-in-law, Tat Yuen Chan.
The owner said he had been leasing the restaurant to Jong Pil Kim.
The building is insured by the property owners.
Returning farmland to a state of nature 
Itsgodswill on September 01 at 10:15 a.m.
Glad no one was hurt. This restaurant used to be one of my favorites, then it either got new owners or just started making their food gross for some other reason.
soccermomsusie on September 01 at 2:45 p.m.
On their marquee they always talked about their “Sin King Room.”
I would think with a name like that, you are really asking for trouble from Satan and all his devils. Maybe the fire department needs to look at some supernatural cause for this fire.
Glenn Beck rededicated this nation to God the other day, maybe Satan thought he could take a stand in the Sin King Room. Guess what devil? You were no match for our fire department!
The name Tung Loon doesn’t sound very American.
I am sure it isn’t because I once tried to get them to serve me some loon and they said they didn’t have any. So why name your restaurant that if you don’t even serve it, unless it means something else. Maybe tung is something foreign too.
Have you ever heard a loon making its lovely call? It has always made me hungry for some reason.
HEAR OUR VOICE!!!
Itsgodswill on September 01 at 3:13 p.m.
For a long time, I thought the sign said “sinking room”, then I finally realized it said Sin King, which makes even less sense. I also went and looked at the Sin King room once, and all that was in there was a playpen with what I assumed was one of the employee’s children sleeping in it. Must have been a while since they actually had a bar of any sort.
IHike4Fun on September 01 at 3:53 p.m.
There is a Japanese resturant in Tucson named: “Yuki Sushi”
Now there is truth in advertizing.