Fire burns Twain Harte restaurant

An early morning fire extensively damaged The Rock restaurant in Twain Harte.

The  fire was reported at 12:19 a.m. by a passerby leaving a neighboring establishment, said Cal Fire's Fire Prevention Bureau Chief Dennis Townsend.

The fire apparently started outside, behind the restaurant, located at 23068 Fuller Road, he said.

The cause had not been determined this morning.

"It was pretty much destroyed. It looks OK from the street, but ... it ruined the kitchen area, and bar and dining room," he said.

No one in the restaurant at the time and no injuries were reported, he said.

The restaurant was open for business Wednesday and the last worker apparently left between 10 and 11:30 p.m., he said.

Twain Harte Fire Protection Distrtct and Cal Fire personnel from Twain Harte were the first to respond, he said.

In all, seven engines, at least one water tender, breathing support from Columbia College, PG&E crews and a Sonora City Fire Department ladder truck, according to Cal Fire dispatchers.

Damage to the two story structure was estimated at $480,000, Townsend said.