Faulty HVAC Prompts Evacuation at LaRosa’s Pizzeria; No Fire, Reopens

Smoke and a burning odor that moved through the vent system sent firefighters to LaRosa’s Pizzeria at 966 E. Main St. late Friday night, Feb. 13, and prompted an evacuation during regular business hours, Jackson Fire Department officials said. Crews were dispatched at 9:44 p.m., and staff members and customers left the building while firefighters searched the interior.

The Jackson Fire Department responded with automatic mutual aid from three other county departments - Liberty Township, Bloomfield Township and Wellston - departments that serve parts of Vinton County. Photographs from the scene show a Jackson ladder truck used to access the roof of the LaRosa’s building as crews worked to locate the source of the smoke.

Jackson Fire Chief Kyle Hickey reported that firefighters entered the restaurant and encountered smoke and a burning smell in the two bathrooms and in the front lobby/main entrance area. There were no flames observed, and crews traced the smell and smoke to a malfunctioning HVAC unit in the basement that was pushing smoke through vents to portions of the main floor.

Officials found no actual fire damage and reported no structural damage to the building after the inspection. The restaurant was allowed to reopen for business on Saturday, Feb. 14, according to the initial incident reporting. The evacuation and rapid mutual-aid response limited on-site disruption to a single overnight closure, with operations back in place the following day.

A photo credited to Red Thompson, Jr. shows the ladder truck on the roof during the response; that image’s caption lists Feb. 23, a date inconsistent with the Feb. 13 incident time stamp and the restaurant’s reported reopening on Feb. 14. The date discrepancy appears to be a caption error and is being verified with the photographer and fire department.

The business appears in reports as both LaRosa’s Pizzeria and LaRosa’s Pizza of Jackson; newsroom follow-up is in progress to confirm the restaurant’s preferred public name and to obtain any additional details on the HVAC malfunction and whether a formal fire-investigation or equipment report was filed. Jackson Fire Department and the mutual-aid departments handled containment and source identification, and the restaurant resumed service the next day after crews declared the building safe.