When the smoke had settled and the reality set in, Micha鈥檚 Mexican Restaurant鈥檚 owners and family members saw a glimmer of hope in the restaurant鈥檚 remnants.
The shrine that for years greeted diners at the entryway of the South Tucson restaurant, 2908 S. Fourth Ave., was unscathed. No water or smoke had touched the painting of founders Gilbert and Artemisa Mariscal, or the photographs of their son, Richard, and other long-gone employees and family members that made up the shrine.
鈥淚 thought that was beautiful,鈥 said Richard Mariscal鈥檚 namesake, son Richard, who no longer works for the family business. 鈥淭he roof fell in on one side, but the outside structure stayed up.鈥 Family members on Monday said they would rebuild the 42-year-old restaurant, but it鈥檚 anyone鈥檚 guess when.
Most of the details still needed to be ironed out, said Lorraine Mariscal, who runs the restaurant with Deborah Martinez.
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鈥淚t鈥檚 not safe to go inside,鈥 she said in between back-to-back phone calls Monday as she pieced together how to begin the process. 鈥淚 know we鈥檙e going to rebuild.鈥
South Tucson Fire Department investigators have ruled the fire鈥檚 cause as undetermined, although they believe it started near the grill or oven.
鈥淭here wasn鈥檛 anything that we noticed that was out of the ordinary,鈥 said South Tucson Fire Capt. Andy Luna. 鈥淓verything looked normal, like a closed restaurant.鈥
Luna said when firefighters came on the scene just after 10 p.m. Friday night, all they saw was smoke coming from the building.
It wasn鈥檛 until they got inside that they discovered fire in the kitchen and that part of the roof had collapsed.
鈥淎t that point, everybody realized, 鈥極h my goodness. This historic building, the family,鈥 鈥 said Luna, who grew up in South Tucson. 鈥淚t was pretty horrific.鈥
Luna said the loss of Micha鈥檚 was still dominating conversations around town on Monday.
Micha鈥檚 was the first restaurant when you turned onto the avenue, which is lined with longtime family-owned Mexican restaurants.
Luna said his department鈥檚 investigation is complete. Building inspectors will examine the extent of the damage once they determine the structure is safe, and when they are done, insurance investigators will take over.
Micha's reopened a year ago: Here's a look at the fire that caused the eatery's closure
Micha's Fine Mexican Foods
Tucson Fire Dept. ladder trucks pour water on the roof during a fire at Micha's Fine Mexican Food in South Tucson early Saturday, April 14, 2018.
Micha's Fine Mexican Foods
A Tucson Fire Dept. ladder truck pours water on the roof at Micha's Fine Mexican Food in South Tucson early Saturday, April 14, 2018.
Fire at Micha's Restaurant
Tucson Fire Department ladder trucks pour thousands of gallons on the roof of Micha's Fine Mexican Food in South Tucson early Saturday, April 14, 2018.
Fire at Micha's Fine Mexican Food
The crew of Tucson Fire Ladder 10 walk through the debris in the parking lot after a fire at Micha's Fine Mexican Food in South Tucson early Saturday, April 14, 2018.
Fire at Micha's Fine Mexican Food
Debris in the parking lot after a fire at Micha's Fine Mexican Food in South Tucson early Saturday, April 14, 2018.
Fire at Micha's Fine Mexican Food
The crew of Tucson Fire Ladder 10 look at damage to the roof after a fire at Micha's Fine Mexican Food in South Tucson early Saturday, April 14, 2018.
Fire at Micha's Fine Mexican Food
Tucson firefighters from TFD Ladder 10, one of the closest TFD stations to South Tucson, look at the damage to the roof after a fire at Micha's Fine Mexican Food in South Tucson early Saturday, April 14, 2018.
Fire at Micha's Fine Mexican Food
Danny Pollanes, who worked at Michas's periodically to help clean up and water, gazes at the debris in the parking lot after a fire at Micha's Fine Mexican Food in South Tucson early Saturday, April 14, 2018.
Micha's Fine Mexican Foods
Gilbert Mariscal reads the paper as customers file in at Micha's restaurant. Gilbert is the oldest son Gilbert and Artemisa Mariscal, who founded the restaurant in 1976.
Micha's Fine Mexican Foods
Carey Lacey of Tucson laughs with some friends at Micha's Restaraunt on South Fourth Ave., after taking a tour of South Tucson in 2000. Lacey was one of about 30 kids to participate in the Catalina Foothills School District's Spanish Camp.
Micha's Fine Mexican Foods
George Gomez cleans a shrine area honoring Micha's founders Gilbert and Artemisa Mariscal. Customers have added other religious symbols of their own throughout the years.
Micha's Fine Mexican Foods
Cook Lupita Dominguez prepares an e-mailed food order at Micha's Restaurant, 2908 South Fourth Ave. in 2006. Dominguez had been with the restaurant for 17 years.
Micha's Fine Mexican Foods
Gilbert and Artemisa "Micha" Mariscal, front, founders of Micha's in front of the original restaurant in South Tucson with family members and workers in 1983.
Micha's Fine Mexican Foods
Gilbert Mariscal, left, owner of Michas's, and South Tucson Mayor Enrique Serna in front of Micha's Fine Mexican Foods in South Tucson just after an extensive expansion in 1984.
Contact reporter Cathalena E. Burch at cburch@tucson.com or 573-4642. On Twitter @Starburch
Cathalena E. Burch
Reporter
