Firefighters responded Friday morning to a fire at O'Leary's Grille at 816 Lafayette Road in Hampton

HAMPTON -- Leaving a jukebox on overnight had never been a problem for O’Leary’s Grille owner Bob O’Leary. That changed Friday morning.

Firefighters responded around 9:30 a.m. to a fire at the 816 Lafayette Road restaurant. The blaze was caused by an accidental electrical malfunction in the jukebox, according to Hampton Fire Chief Chris Silver.

Silver credited the sprinkler system with saving the building, which sustained smoke damage while the jukebox was destroyed. The jukebox was in a corner of the building where the O’Leary’s sports lounge is located.

“We didn’t need this going into winter,” O’Leary said. “It’s going to set us back, but thankfully the damage was limited to the jukebox area.”

The Hampton Fire Department responded to the call within five minutes, Silver said. The department was conducting training at Hampton Beach at the time the fire was reported.

“We received a telephone call from the alarm company and then received three additional telephone calls, two from neighbors across the street and someone who arrived here to open the restaurant,” Silver said.

The chief said he was the first to arrive on scene and spotted light smoke coming from a vent in the roof. When he went inside, he said the entire place was filled with “a dense dark smoke.”

Fire crews arrived shortly after, advancing one hose line into the building and quickly extinguishing the fire.

The fire was knocked down in about 15 minutes.

“The sprinkler system saved the building,” Silver said. “It did exactly what it was supposed to do and contained it right in the area of origin.”

The fire was contained to the corner of the bar where the jukebox was located. The sprinkler worked so well that nearby children’s drawings and the bar itself were not even charred.

O’Leary said he was home when he received the call.

“It’s the worst call you can get,” he said.

After viewing the damage, he said it will take time to clean up but he’s hopeful to be open as soon as possible.

“It’s going to take some time because the lounge is pretty messed up right now,” said O’Leary, who noted that the lounge is the “meat and potatoes” of his business.

In 2009, the popular Route 1 establishment on underwent $15,000 worth of renovations that included adding a new family dining area.

O’Leary runs the restaurant with his wife, Laura. The couple have been in business since 1996.

Charred parts of a juke box outside of O'Leary's Bar and Grill at 816 Lafayette Road in Hampton Friday morning

Hampton Fire Chief Chris Silver talks about the smoky fire at the O'Leary's Grille located at 816 Lafayette Road in Hampton on Friday morning. The fire is believed to have started by an accidental electrical malfunction in the jukebox

HAMPTON -- Leaving a jukebox on overnight had never been a problem for O'Leary's Grille owner Bob O'Leary. That changed Friday morning.

Firefighters responded around 9:30 a.m. to a fire at the 816 Lafayette Road restaurant. The blaze was caused by an accidental electrical malfunction in the jukebox, according to Hampton Fire Chief Chris Silver.

Silver credited the sprinkler system with saving the building, which sustained smoke damage while the jukebox was destroyed. The jukebox was in a corner of the building where the O'Leary's sports lounge is located.

"We didn't need this going into winter," O'Leary said. "It's going to set us back, but thankfully the damage was limited to the jukebox area."

The Hampton Fire Department responded to the call within five minutes, Silver said. The department was conducting training at Hampton Beach at the time the fire was reported.

"We received a telephone call from the alarm company and then received three additional telephone calls, two from neighbors across the street and someone who arrived here to open the restaurant," Silver said.

The chief said he was the first to arrive on scene and spotted light smoke coming from a vent in the roof. When he went inside, he said the entire place was filled with "a dense dark smoke."

Fire crews arrived shortly after, advancing one hose line into the building and quickly extinguishing the fire.

The fire was knocked down in about 15 minutes.

"The sprinkler system saved the building," Silver said. "It did exactly what it was supposed to do and contained it right in the area of origin."

The fire was contained to the corner of the bar where the jukebox was located. The sprinkler worked so well that nearby children's drawings and the bar itself were not even charred.

O'Leary said he was home when he received the call.

"It's the worst call you can get," he said.

After viewing the damage, he said it will take time to clean up but he's hopeful to be open as soon as possible.

"It's going to take some time because the lounge is pretty messed up right now," said O'Leary, who noted that the lounge is the "meat and potatoes" of his business.

In 2009, the popular Route 1 establishment on underwent $15,000 worth of renovations that included adding a new family dining area.

O'Leary runs the restaurant with his wife, Laura. The couple have been in business since 1996.

Hampton Fire Chief Chris Silva inspects the inside of O'Leary's Grille at 816 Lafayette Road in Hampton Friday morning, after an accidental electrical malfunction in the jukebox, caused a smoky blaze

A smoky blaze at O'Leary's Grill in Hampton was caused by an accidental electrical malfunction in the jukebox, according to Hampton Fire Chief Chris Silver