Firefighters Extinguish Early Morning Blaze at Mediterranio Pizza

Firefighters from East Whiteland Fire Company and other local companies responded to a blaze at in Lincoln Court Shopping Center early Monday morning.

The cause of the fire, which left the restaurant a charred and watery mess, is still under investigation, and the restaurant is closed.

Owner Joe Failla said he was awakened by a firefighter at his house and arrived at the restaurant around 1:40 a.m.

Malvern Fire Company Chief Neil Vaughn, whose company assisted in the effort, said the fire was under control within about 45 minutes.

, located next door to Mediterranio, suffered minor damage from the fire. The front and rear doors of the business had been forced open by firefighters. In August, Dibrino's other location was next door to a in Wayne.

"We had light smoke damage and an odor. Just enough to shut us down," owner Jim Dibrino of more recent fire.

In addition to East Whiteland and Malvern, fire companies from Paoli, Goshen and Berwyn responded to the early morning blaze.

Failla said he is determined to reopen Mediterranio as soon as possible. The steel roof, he said, appeared unaffected by the blaze, and he planned to speak with contractors immediately about repairing the other damage.

"It's gonna be back," Failla said. "Probably two to three months, I'm gonna reopen.

"To my customers, I just would like to say one thing. I really appreciate the business they've been giving me for the past eight years. It's been an honor to serve them, and I'll be back to serve them better than before," he said.

More photos available at phillyfirenews.com.