Fire destroys popular Irving Mexican restaurant

IRVING, Texas - A large fire Monday morning destroyed a popular restaurant in Irving.

According to the Irving Fire Department, the fire at Danal’s Mexican Restaurant on North O'Connor Road, south of Highway 183, started around 8 a.m. Monday. It quickly grew to three alarms.

Smoke could be seen pouring from the building. Firefighters initially took an aggressive approach to fighting the flames but had to clear out of the building quickly when part of the roof collapsed.

The restaurant had been in the strip mall for 27 years. It drew customers from all over North Texas and was a favorite among many city employees. By Monday afternoon, much of the restaurant had been razed because the walls were no longer safe.

For the owner of the restaurant, it’s a devastating lost.

“My life’s work is here,” Santo Maltez said. “All my savings is there. Now everything is gone.”

The cause of the fire is still under investigation, but firefighters say it seemed to have started in the kitchen and quickly spread. They were forced to fight the fire from above after they saw the roof beginning to fail.

Firefighters managed to keep the flames from spreading to other businesses in the shopping center but a beauty salon next to the restaurant has some smoke and water damage. A neighboring laundromat also has damage.

Danal's is closed on Monday so no one was inside and no one was hurt.

Maltez says he might rebuild, but most likely in another location.