For the second time in four months, the Dowagiac Fire Department was dispatched to the Wounded Minnow Saloon in order to combat a fire caused by a damaged gas meter.

Firefighters were sent to the downtown restaurant at 5:15 p.m. Monday after receiving a call from an employee about fire that erupted in the back alleyway behind the building. The first engine arrived on the scene a few minutes later, where firefighters discovered that gas emanating from a damaged gas meter had ignited.

“[I’m] not sure what the cause of the fire was, but the gas meter was definitely involved,” said Chief Guy Evans. “The meter itself sustained damage as a result of the fire.”

Crews were able to control the blaze by isolating the main gas line feeding into the meter, shutting off the control valve located under the ground a short distance away. They declared the fire under control at around 5:22 p.m.

“There was no damage to the building this time around, but there was some burnt-smelling fumes that got inside the building, so we set up some fans to help ventilate the inside,” Evans said.

Later in the afternoon, representatives with Semco Energy arrived on the scene, replacing the damaged meter. Crews with the fire department cleared the scene at 6:30 p.m.

At the moment, the department has yet to determine what caused the gas to leak from the meter or what ignited the flames.

The Minnow was the victim of a much larger gas fire in July, also the result of a damaged gas meter. Crews spent several hours combating the fire before the city was able to crimp the ruptured gas line beneath the street, cutting off the fire’s fuel source. The resulting fire, smoke and water damage caused the saloon to close its doors to customers for several weeks.

The Minnow opened back up for customers a short time after the incident Monday.