Fire At Vernonia’s Only Mexican Restaurant

Vernonia, Oregon -A small Oregon town has to go without one of it’s only restaurants now for months. KXL’s Jacob Dean is the first to report La Cabana was just damaged in a fire. Residents in Vernonia don’t have many options on eating out. There’s a couple places, a couple bars, and a subway. That’s why it’s a big deal that this fire broke out at the little Mexican place, La Cabana, in the middle of downtown. One customer tells me it happened last Sunday. A woman who lives in the apartments above the restaurant says it was very scary being woken up in the middle of the night to the fire around 1am. She hopes it doesn’t force her out of her home. The restaurant posted the sad news on Facebook: they won’t reopen for about six months. Locals in Vernonia are devastated. They tell me it was one of their favorite eateries in town, some of the best Mexican food they’ve ever had anywhere, and Pedro the cook was amazing.  It’s unclear what caused the fire, but it looks like it started around an electrical box just inside the front door.

Photos courtesy of KXL’s Jacob Dean