Dallas Fire Rescue responded to a call from a passerby early Saturday morning at 5405 W. Lovers Lane. The fire department told NBC that when they arrived on the scene, smoke was coming out of the roof of the shopping center.
In all, four businesses along the strip were affected by the fire, which spread through the attic space. No injuries were reported.
Businesses affected by the fire include Campisi’s Restaurant and Johnny Rodriguez the Salon.
Campisi’s has been a longtime and ardent supporter of Dallas Fire Rescue, recently providing dinner to the team that couldn’t attend their annual banquet.
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The fire happened at the busiest time of the year for one of Dallas’ longest-running restaurants. Kenny Penn, president of Campisi’s, told NBC that all employees “will be taken care of,” as they work to place them at other locations. Penn also encouraged customers to visit one of their other eight locations.
Campisi’s originally opened in 1946, first in the Knox-Henderson neighborhood, before relocating to its iconic location on Mockingbird Lane. Campisi’s has long been a place of lore and “Goodfellas dark,” as we wrote about in an All-American series in 2016. A 1999 LA Times article referred to a “mafia mystique” and gambling rackets in the old days, which law enforcement could never prove.
The Egyptian restaurant has leaned heavily on its great thin-crust pizza for expansion across North Texas.
We’ve reached out to Campisi’s, and we’ll report on a reopening as that news becomes available.