Many locals considered it a tragedy when Casa Rios Mexican Restaurant in Vernal closed its doors in 2015, a casualty of the failing economy. Tragedy has unfortunately struck again after a fire caused significant damage to the building on 2750 West Highway 40 on Friday night. According to Uintah County Fire Marshal Jeremy Raymond, Vernal City Fire Department responded to a call of a structure fire on Friday night at 9pm. Crews arrived and began fighting the blaze from the outside. “They had it contained within 15 to 20 minutes but stayed for several hours getting hotspots out. The cause of the fire remains under investigation,” says Raymond. “We looked at it a little bit and have an investigator coming out on Monday.” The building appeared to not be in use and it’s difficult to tell if it’s a total loss. It did get into the trusses and cause a lot of damage, continues Raymond, but damage in the downstairs was minimal. The damage is estimated at $250,000 dollars to the structure and content.
