Although original estimates were at $50,000, the cost of a July 7 fire at La Cucina di Pinnochio?s restaurant is quickly nearing several times that amount.

?Damages are in the hundreds of thousands of dollars,? said Amherst Fire Assistant Chief Lindsay E. Stromgen.

?The electrical damage was much more than we expected,? he added.

Apart from electrical damage done to the establishment at 30 Boltwood Walk, the fire destroyed the floor and a wall of the a popular Italian restaurant.

Fire fighters were called to the scene at 1:12 a.m. when a nearby off-duty police officer saw smoke pouring out of the establishment that houses La Cucina di Pinocchio.

18 firefighters, two chief officers, the department?s chaplain, and 18 call firefighters responded to the fire.

Stromgen said that when the firefighters arrived at the scene, smoke was billowing out of the building, with so little visibility that firefighters could not see the flames of the fire.

After entering the basement of the building, firefighters discovered that the sprinkler system had been shut off. Whoever shut the system off failed to follow regulations and tell the Amherst Fire Department.

“It’s illegal for the sprinklers to be left in the shut off position,” Stromgren said.

The room where the sprinkler controls are located is locked sometimes, but unlocked at other times, making it hard to pinpoint who was at fault. Nobody is being fined, according to Stromgen.

After the firefighters turned the sprinkler system back on, firefighters discovered that the fire had burned off the sprinkler head. Once the water was on, the firefighters quickly located the source of the fire. However, the setbacks caused by the smoke and sprinkler system cost the team 20-25 minutes before reaching the center of the blaze.

The Springfield Republican reported that the sprinkler system was outdated, and if it was up-to-date, the fire may have been prevented. New sprinkler systems automatically notify the fire department if a system is shut off.

The Copper Mine, a new tanning salon, which was to be located in the basement of the building, was in the midst of renovating at the time of the fire.

The fire damaged two rooms in the Copper Mine, and spread to the ceiling, which is the floor of Pinocchio?s.

No firefighters were hurt during the fire. The sole resident of the building was assisted by the Red Cross.

Amherst Fire determined that the fire was not suspicious, but they could not pinpoint an exact cause.?The fire is now under investigation by the building’s insurance companies.

The building is closed until further notice.