A small fire at an IHOP in Hot Springs caused minor damage to the restaurant and briefly delayed a celebration there in honor of the chain's 59th anniversary, the Hot Springs Sentinel-Record reported Wednesday.
The blaze at the IHOP at 3837 Central Ave., which started around 1 p.m. Tuesday in a flower bed and spread to inside one of the building's walls, is believed to have been sparked by a discarded cigarette butt.
Firefighters found flames inside and outside the structure, but got "everything under control shortly after arriving," Hot Springs Fire Chief Ed Davis told the newspaper.
The restaurant, which was offering 59 cent pancakes as part of its anniversary special, was shut down for a few hours before being cleared to reopen later in the day.
"It could have been a lot worse and I'm just glad everyone is OK," IHOP manager Angie Pelt said. "In the future, we would just like people to be a little more careful."
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