GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — The roof of a popular Mexican restaurant in Gwinnett County collapsed after a fire on Tuesday morning.

Frontera has multiple locations throughout Gwinnett County. A cook at the location off Stone Mountain Highway told Channel 2 that he was prepping food for the day when the fire started.

As soon as he saw the smoke, the chef escaped right before the roof collapsed.

“I got a phone call that the restaurant was on fire,” manager Rodrigo Gonzalez said. “One of the cooks said he saw sparking on the wires. He got scared you know. To see the restaurant with all the fire and smoke.

Gwinnett County fire said the damage was extensive. The department deployed 17 units to get it under control.

“We did have to pull our crews out after doing a quick search to confirm nobody was still in the building,” Capt. Ryan McGiboney said.

Most of the damage was in the dining room area right under the spot where the roof caved in.

Gonzalez said it’s hard as his employees rely on the restaurant to support their families: “Thank God, nobody got hurt. And we’ll just see what happens.”

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