A fire broke out around 10:40 p.m. Tuesday night at the H Salt Fish & Chips restaurant located at 4795 Vineland Ave. in North Hollywood, where Lankershim Boulevard and Camarillo Street cross. LAFD firefighters from North Hollywood and Studio City responded quickly, and had the fire "knocked down" in approximately 15 minutes. Nobody was injured at the scene, said Shawn Lenske of the Los Angeles Fire Department.

A friend of the family who was at the scene said the owner and another relative were working inside the restaurant after business hours. The friend, who did not give his name, said, "The fire broke out when they (the owner and family member) were inside, so they called 911... and the fire trucks were here in no time. Luckily, they're just down the street! (LAFD Station 86 is at 4305 Vineland Ave. in Toluca Lake, about 4 city blocks away.)

LAFD firefighter Dominic Marquis, from Station 78 in Studio City, said, "The fire started in the area where the deep fryers are. Near the grease filter, and going into the vent."

Marquis pointed out the affected area; there was a mangled grease filter located underneath the deep fryers; and where drywall originally hid aluminum venting, the firefighters had busted it away to gain access to the flames.

Several firefighters poked and prodded various areas near the fryers and the vent, still investigating how the fire possibly started. Other firefighters investigated the roof and attic area to make sure the fire was completely extinguished. The rest gathered the hoses and the ladders and loaded them onto the fire trucks.

Marquis added, "When we got here, it looked like the fire may have gone into the attic, because of all the heavy smoke. But it didn't — it was only burning in the vent area."

Outside near the shops behind the H. Salt Fish & Chips building, after the firefighters had successfully extinguished the flames, LAFD Batallion 14 Chief Peter Benesch was speaking with the female owner about the fire damage, the business and city regulations. She was accompanied by a sister and another older female family member.

Benesch informed her about the extent of the damage and the next steps the family would need to take to get the equipment replaced and the structure repaired. The business could not open until it complied with current fire safety code, he said.

City News Service contributed to this report.