Campus-renowned Caracas Empanadas food cart remains out of commission until further notice after catching fire at the Taste of Madison Saturday evening.
Ladder Company 1 firefighters were called to 10 East Main Street at 8:12 p.m. where upon arrival they found smoke coming from the food service trailer's cooking vent, according to City of Madison spokesperson Lori Wirth.
Forty-five minutes before the fire broke out, the cart's owner, Luis de Dompablo, smelled smoke while using his fryer, but didn't see flames. When smoke lingered into the cart and the smell intensified, he called the Madison Fire Department, removed a propane tank from inside the cart and shut off the fryer.
""It was like I was watching a movie,"" Dompablo said. ""I didn't really understand. I kept thinking, ‘Is this happening to me?'""
Although there were no injuries, Dompablo said he suffered financial loss. Food had to be thrown away because of smoke damage, and his cart will requires significant repairs.
According to Wirth, the crew cut through the cart's steel exterior, unveiling the burning metal-covered plywood walls, and extinguished the fire.
Dompablo said fire fighters suspected the fryer overheated the cart's interior plywood walls, causing it to catch fire.
Dompablo said what most bothers him about the accident is that it rendered him unable to sell empanadas in Library Mall or at the Farmer's Market for the foreseeable future. With classes starting, Dompablo is used to and enjoys serving Madison patrons on a daily basis.
""I have people that come every day to eat,"" Dompablo said. ""But now we know what was going on and we can prevent it from happening again.""
