Fire at Tomato Street contained to underground vault

A North Side Italian restaurant was evacuated tonight after employees and diners smelled electrical smoke. Firefighters were called to Tomato Street, 6220 N. Division, about 9:10 p.m. Flames were coming from a small underground electrical vault attached to the northeast side of the building, said Battalion Chief Joe Fielder. Crews used dry powder fire extinguishers to put out the fire while an Avista Utilities crew shut power off to the structure. Fielder said fires in electrical vaults are rare. “I haven’t seen one in about 35 years on the job,” he said. The fire did not spread outside the vault, Fielder said. Troy Campbell, a Tomato Street manager, said the restaurant was open but there weren’t many guests at the time. He said the restaurant hopes to open tomorrow, but diners may want to call ahead to make sure power has been restored.