HOUSTON – The popular House of Pies restaurant on Kirby Drive near Alabama will be closed while the owner makes repairs after an overnight fire.
The manager, Greg Smith, who has worked at the business since 1981, was inside when the fire started.
"It was frightening for me, it was frightening for everybody, I guess. It's hard to see a place where you have been working so long go up in flames like that," Smith explained.
The flames crawled up the roof quickly, but firefighters were able to douse them before it got out of control.
Customers inside said someone in the parking lot spotted the fire on the roof and alerted everyone to get out.
"A guy banged on the window and said the building was on fire," customer Yartiza Bardales said. "We thought he was joking and then we saw people running and then it was serious."
"We were eating and some guy came in and said the building was on fire, we didn't believe it but sure enough," said John Polanco, a customer.
The cause of the fire may be electrical, but it's under investigation and arson officials will collect evidence as part of the ongoing investigation.
Meanwhile, the restaurant manager said the good news is they will make repairs quickly.
"It's a Houston icon. It's been here forever -- since 1967 and going strong," said Smith. "We will be open as soon as possible, long before Thanksgiving."
No one was hurt during the overnight fire.