Fire damaged a popular Raymond restaurant and disrupted traffic on busy Route 302 for about an hour Wednesday afternoon.

Windham Fire Chief Brent Libby said the fire at A La Mexicana Restaurant, at 1227 Roosevelt Trail in Raymond, started in the kitchen and caused significant damage to the building’s interior.

Libby said it’s unlikely that the restaurant will be able to reopen in the near future.

A section of Route 302, which is also known as Roosevelt Trail, was closed to traffic between Windham and Raymond.

Libby said the fire started in the kitchen and spread into the ceiling and attic. The family that runs the restaurant was preparing food at the time and made it out safely. There were no customers inside the restaurant.

Route 302 was shut down from Whites Bridge Road in Windham to Route 85 (Webbs Mills Road) from about 2:54 p.m. to 3:45 p.m. Route 302 serves as the major highway in the area, connecting Windham with the lakes region.

Several local fire departments responded to Raymond because the Raymond Fire Department was tied up with a brush fire in another part of town.

Video by Cynthia Thuotte via WCSH TV

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