Investigators determine cause of Franklin Street fire that destroyed Mediterranean Deli & Catering

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (WTVD) -- Two weeks after a devastating fire at a popular Chapel Hill restaurant, the cause of the blaze has now been determined.

Chapel Hill Fire Department said the fire at Mediterranean Deli & Catering on July 22 started on the roof of the restaurant. Work was being done in the area at the time, and investigators determined the fire to be accidental.
[Ads /]
The fire destroyed the restaurant's longtime Franklin Street location. The deli is now operating from its venue space, offering catering and event bookings only.

For more than three decades, Mediterranean Deli & Catering has been a staple on Franklin Street in downtown Chapel Hill.

The fire put dozens of people out of work, but customers and Chapel Hill business owners have since rallied around the reeling restaurant.
[Ads /]
"This is not a business, it's like home to me," said Jamil Kadoura, who opened the restaurant in 1991. The former Palestinian refugee says he and his wife poured their savings to open the storefront 10 years after he immigrated to the US.
"I'm not surprised at all with this community. I know this community very well, and it was a little for me, a little bit hard to accept. But when I start thinking about it, it's not for me, for my employees," he said.