Fire damages Nahant landmark Tides

NAHANT – Hungry regulars of Tides Restaurant showed up for dinner as usual Tuesday evening to find yellow caution tape wrapped around the front porch.To Nahant resident Joyce Hanes, it seemed to be the only sign that a fire had heavily damaged the restaurant?s interior on Tuesday morning, leading the restaurant to close its doors for the next few weeks or more.?Other than this bit of yellow tape, it doesn?t look that different,” said Hanes.According to Nahant Fire Captain Dean Palombo, the fire began in the basement around 2:40 a.m. and progressed to the upper floors and the kitchen of the restaurant. Palombo said fire was under control at 3:22 a.m. and finally went out at about 4 a.m. “It went pretty well,” he said. “It was a good stop.”Palombo estimated smoke and structural damage to the kitchen walls to be about $200,000, and expects the restaurant to be closed for two weeks.The cause of the fire is unknown and is under investigation by the State Fire Marshal?s office.Kitchen worker Ruben Mejia said when he finished his shift Monday at 11 p.m. there was “no problem.” With no notice of the fire, Mejia showed up for his shift shortly before 5 p.m. on Tuesday, just as confused as the regulars.Hanes, who lives down the street from Tides, said she had no idea about the fire until she heard about it at work Tuesday morning. A member of the Nahant Women?s Club, Hanes said she often attends fundraisers at the restaurant, and suspected many others would be disappointed they would be without the community hotspot for events and dinners. “There?s been a restaurant here forever,” she said.?Where are we going to go now? The best restaurant in Nahant is closed down,” said Tony Figueiredo, who arrived Tuesday looking for a quick dinner before his Odd Fellows meeting. His friend Leon Small said they often hold meetings at Tides.Jenny Montague of Nahant said she comes to Tides once or twice a week. “The food?s good, it?s close to home and there?s nice people. It?s easy to grab a beer here, and the people know each other,” she said.Tides owner Mike O?Callahan could not be reached for comment on Tuesday, but a sign on the back entrance of the restaurant said Tides will “reopen as soon as possible.”Kait Taylor can be reached at [email protected].