The Cookeville Fire Department responded to a fire call Wednesday morning at the IHOP on Interstate Drive.
Fire Chief Darryl Blair said on arrival, the building was filled with haze. After investigating, the smoke was created from a faulty belt in an AC unit on the roof.
“There was no fire at all,” Blair said. “The belt got so hot that it malfunctioned and started smoking. Now, if it had not become noticed, it could have possibly turned into something more, but luckily, it did not.”
Blair said responders were on the scene for less than an hour. IHOP’s maintenance crew quickly fixed the AC belt. Blair said there was only around $200 of damage.
The restaurant will remain closed for the day due to their systems being down. IHOP employees said they are not sure if the system malfunction is related the AC belt creating smoke.
