Video: Employee using sparklers ignites Mamajuana Café’s tiki hut

TAMPA, Fla. - An innocent celebration sparked a devastating fire at the Mamajuana Café tiki hut earlier this month, according to Hillsborough County Fire Rescue.

On Tuesday, HCFR released video that shows employees using sparklers in a celebration at the Anderson Road restaurant.  

In the video, an employee is seen extending the sparkler over her head and unintentionally igniting the thatch roof of the tiki hut.  

The owner of the restaurant said the past few days have been extremely tough for him and his staff. 

"We took every precaution when we did the tiki, getting all the protective services, like the fire retardant, everything. And it was just something out of a movie," said Miguel Guzmen, the owner of Mamajuana Café.

Firefighters say employees were unable to contain the quickly spreading fire. According to HCFR, everyone who was inside the building was able to safely evacuate and nobody was injured. 

Courtesy: Hillsborough County Fire Rescue

Guzmen told FOX 13 it was a tragic accident, and he's glad everyone got out safely. 

"It was not done intentionally, you know. None of us. This is our livelihood, you know, we all eat from Mamajuana, and it was just a catastrophe," Guzmen said.

The owner said he hopes the restaurant can come back from this even stronger. 

"The tiki of course – It's just gone. It's ashes. But our restaurant, we're, thank God nothing happened. Trying to take all our safety precautions to open back up, be able to serve food. Our employees could come and start earning a living and feed their families," Guzmen said.

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