MIDDLETOWN, Ohio --
An overnight fire caused considerable damage to a Middletown restaurant.
The fire broke out Friday around 1 a.m. at the Lone Star Steakhouse on Roosevelt Avenue near Interstate 75.
Emergency crews struggled to dampen flames that burned through the roof of the restaurant, and one firefighter was injured as he carried heavy equipment into the building.
Karl Gaston will need surgery for unspecified leg injuries he suffered after tripping over a fire hose.
They were leg injuries (but) not typical fractures like most people would see, said Dennis Sorrell, deputy chief of the Middletown fire department.
The amount of damage inside the building is considered extensive, and investigators said it appeared to have been caused by an electrical malfunction.
Employees were given the opportunity to transfer to another Lone Star restaurant in Cincinnati or Dayton, and a restaurant spokesman said they would provide an additional two weeks pay to help workers with the transition.
The restaurant should re-open, but no timetable was available.
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