An early morning electrical fire damaged a pizza restaurant in Hopewell today.

Hopewell firefighters responded about 3:30 a.m. to a fire at Chanello's Pizza in the Crossings Shopping Center at the intersection of Crossings Boulevard and Oaklawn Boulevard.

The fire apparently began at an electrical receptacle and sparked cardboard pizza boxes, according to Battalion Chief Nat Hios. The fire smoldered and caused heavy smoke damage to the business, but firefighters extinguished the blaze quickly, he said.

Hios said the department called out a second alarm, requesting help from firefighters in Prince George County, because of the restaurant's location in a strip mall.

"It was a big deal because it had a lot of potential," he said.

-- Michael Martz