Kitchen fire in doughnut shop briefly closes businesses

Firefighters inspect the roof of Wolfee Donuts from the back of the business on Friday. Photos by Rhonda Copp

Employees of six businesses in a Menifee commercial center briefly evacuated their shops Friday afternoon when fire broke out in the kitchen of a doughnut shop, but the fire was quickly extinguished and no one was injured.

A Cal Fire spokesperson confirmed that the fire was reported at 3:14 p.m. The fire was discovered in the back of Wolfee Donuts in the Stater Bros. shopping center at Newport Road and Menifee Road.

According to Rhonda Copp, owner of Blitzer's Premium Frozen Yogurt in the same center, employees and customers at all six shops in the row adjacent to Stater Bros. evacuated and 911 was called. Fire station 76 is just a couple blocks away, and crews responded immediately, Copp said, along with engines from four other stations.

"They tackled it right away and got it out," Copp said. "The fire was contained to Wolfee's kitchen and no other business was damaged. The firefighters did a great job."

The other businesses were re-opened within an hour.