Dorchester Fire Temporarily Shutters Blasi’s Café and PS Gourmet Coffee

A basement fire triggered by an electrical short circuit forced three popular Dorchester restaurants to shutter temporarily. The fire broke out at 756-762 Adams St. in Adams Village around 2:30 a.m. on Saturday, September 23, and caused smoke damage in Blasi’s Café and its takeout sibling, Fat Belly Deli, as well as PS Gourmet Coffee. According to the Boston Fire Department, the two-alarm fire caused $700,000 worth of damage. The restaurants are still closed as of this writing.

Kenny Blasi, who owns the building with his brother Joe, revealed in a Facebook live video that the fire coincided with his 51st birthday. “Fifty-one feels very old today,” said Blasi.

All of the businesses in the building — which has been in the Blasi family for 80 years — share a common basement. Steve MacDonald, a spokesman from the Boston Fire Department, said the businesses were lucky the fire didn’t spread to the first floor but that there was still “quite a bit of smoke damage.”

Before the restaurants can reopen, they’ll have to first file insurance claims, negotiate with contractors, and finally wait for the City of Boston’s Inspectional Services department to make a determination on whether or not the businesses are up to code. Maria Blasi, Kenny’s wife, told the Boston Globe that process is underway.

For now though, Dot residents will have to wait for their chicken parm subs and iced mochas. Meanwhile, PS Gourmet does have two other locations — one in South Boston and one in Roslindale.

• Building Owner Vows to Rebuild After Adams Village Fire [BG]
• Blasi's Cafe and Fat Belly Deli in Dorchester Closed After Fire [BRT]