Aided by heavy rain, Vicksburg firefighters extinguished a suspected electrical fire at El Ranchero Mexican Restaurant on U.S. 61 South late Friday night.

The fire caused little damage, and no one was injured.

Employees at the restaurant realized there was a fire shortly before 10 p.m. when a piece of the neon sign on the exterior of the building at 4004 U.S. 61 South fell, said owner Jesse Martinez. Two tables of customers and a handful of employees were evacuated and the fire department was called, he said.

Vicksburg Fire Department Capt. Tim Love said the small blaze was extinguished in about 10 minutes. Firefighters arrived on the scene with two trucks, a rescue vehicle and ambulance. Love said the blaze appeared to have been caused by an electrical shortage, but said an investigation would be conducted.

Firefighters cut a hole in the front of the building where the neon sign had fallen to quell the smoke. Martinez said he intends to patch the hole this morning and reopen for business by the afternoon.

“There was no damage caused inside,” said Martinez, “just the outside.”

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Contact Steve Sanoski at ssanoski@vicksburgpost.com.