Minor damage after fire at Charlottetown McDonald's

The exterior of McDonald's on University Avenue is slightly damaged after a fire Monday evening.

Firefighters responded to the restaurant just before 7 p.m., when a mulch fire travelled up the side of the building. 

"We had a call in that looked to be smoke and flames from the side of the McDonald's," said Deputy Chief Tim Mayme. 

"It started as a mulch fire and extended up the exterior of the building, underneath the metal siding, there's plywood and it just ran up there toward the roof line." 

After the flames were out fire crews worked with saws and axes to remove all the metal siding and uncover the plywood on the side and roof of the building, then sprayed the area with water. 

Mayme says mulch fires aren't uncommon at this time of year. 

"Once people put them down, and they start drying out in the sun and any source of ignition at all, they can get smoldering for quite a while and then the wind whips it up a bit."

The cause of ignition is still being looked at. The restaurant was briefly closed, but open again by 9:30 p.m.

"The inside of the building is fine, it didn't extend toward the interior of the building," Mayme said.