Dumpster fire closes two downtown eateries 

Two downtown Denver eateries are temporarily closed for the foreseeable future after a fire damaged both establishments in the early morning hours of July 28. 

Both Two Lazy Dogs Bar & Grill and the neighboring Little India — at 1531 and 1533 Champa St., respectively — suffered extensive smoke, fire and water damage after an as-yet unidentified individual set fire to a dumpster in the alley behind the building. According to Two Dogs owner Chase Phillips, security footage captured images of an individual throwing a burning object into the dumpster at around 1:45 a.m. on Tuesday, which was then quickly engulfed in flames. 

The dumpster was located directly underneath the main electrical bay that serviced the building, which also caught fire and caused the flames to enter the building through the ventilation system, eventually traveling up to the rooftop as well, according to Phillips.

Most of the damage is limited to the Little India space, he says.

“I feel terrible for them,” Phillips says. “The damage on our side was not nearly as bad as Little India. I mean, about a third of their building was impacted by the fire and water damage. The flames got in and, from what I was able to see, got about 15-20 feet into the building in the back. I mean, all that stuff is torched in there.”

We’ve reached out to the owners of Little India and will update the story if we hear back.

As for Two Dogs, the majority of damage is from smoke that billowed through the building and water from the firefighters extinguishing the blaze. 

“The smoke was so thick, it got into the HVAC system and was extensive enough that all the food outside of the refrigerators had to be tossed,” Phillips says. “Any liquor bottles that weren’t fully sealed all had to be thrown away. You walk in there, and it smells like a campfire.”

He estimates losses from both inventory and revenue at around $40,000, and another $40,000 for the repair and recovery efforts, which are underway now. That includes a top-to-bottom cleaning of the entire building, plus deodorization and a full washing of all silverware, plates and so on. 

Two Lazy Dogs hopes to reopen by this weekend, but Phillips says it could take months before Little India is able to resume operations. 

“It could have been so much worse,” he says.

Fire is a constant threat to restaurants, as we’ve seen in recent months. On July 15, a fire shut down Sherpa Base Camp on 1320 E. 17th Ave., and the restaurant has yet to reopen. Parisi at 4401 Tennyson St. is still rebuilding after a May fire, as well.

But there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Earlier this month, Odyssey Italian Restaurant reopened after a February fire forced it to close, and the Littleton location of Los Dos Portillos is also back in business following a March blaze.