A cause has yet to be determined for a blaze that destroyed a popular restaurant in Lyon Township.

The fire happened around 7am Tuesday morning at the Lyon Cantina on Pontiac Trail and 9 Mile Road, which had to be razed. Arriving units reported flames through the roof but as they made an interior attack, conditions worsened and crews were pulled from the building, which was deemed a total loss. It’s believed the fire started in the kitchen. No one was inside at the time and no firefighters were injured but the building had to be razed Tuesday night due to flare-ups. Lyon Township Fire Chief Ken Van Sparrentak tells WHMI the more they uncovered, the more flames they encountered. Since it had already been determined that the building was a complete loss, he says they weren’t going to risk firefighter safety by needlessly entering so the decision was made to tear down the remaining walls so they could get to the hot spots and extinguish them. Fire Marshal Brian Holzheimer says no determination has been made yet as to a cause for the fire and the investigation has since been turned over to the Oakland County Fire Investigation Unit.

The fire forced Pontiac Trail to temporarily close in both directions and Lyon Township was assisted on scene by the Green Oak, South Lyon, Milford, Northfield, Salem, and Novi fire departments. Pictures courtesy of Glenn Kivell - Facebook. (JM)