DANVERS — Domino’s Pizza was gearing up for the noon rush late Saturday morning when the day came to an early end with an enormous crash.
Firefighters arriving moments later in the pouring rain found that one of the two rickety-looking chimneys on the roof of the next-door house at 83 Maple St. had toppled and fallen directly onto Domino’s at 85 Maple.
Most of the bricks of the tall, slim chimney apparently fell almost directly onto Domino’s roof, and above its food preparation area.
Fire Capt. Linus Murphy said the roof and food-prep area sustained heavy damage, as did the rooftop HVAC unit, but no one was injured.
From the ground, there was no sign of the mishap on Monday except for a single small, 2-inch triangle of red brick at the side of the street, a neat patch, perhaps 3-feet square, where the chimney had exited, and the dented and bent casing of the HVAC unit still on the roof.
The restaurant was closed the remainder of the weekend. And although an “Open” sign hung on the door Monday, the interior of the restaurant was dark, with no sign of occupants, and a phone call about noon went directly to voicemail that promptly announced that it was full.
Murphy did not attempt to estimate the extent of damages, but he did say it was unlikely the restaurant would be able to reopen this week or next.