One man used a second-floor balcony to escape to safety after the building that houses the Black Pearl Restaurant in Treme caught fire Wednesday (May 8). The restaurant was not open at the time of the fire.

Initially, NOFD and paramedics on the scene believed that the restaurant’s owner and employee were inside the building, but were later informed that both were outside when the fire occurred. The man who was on the second floor jumped off the balcony to safety, according to NOFD Capt. Edwin Holmes.