Knoxville Fire and Rescue and the Knoxville Police Department were called to a fire at Hardee’s in Knoxville shortly after 7:00 a.m Tuesday.

Knoxville Fire Chief Jim Mitchell tells KNIA/KRLS News that the fire had been extinguished by the time the fire department arrived. A coffee pot malfunctioned, causing sparks to shoot out of the top. A customer standing at the counter grabbed a fire extinguisher and put the fire out. There were no injuries. Mitchell says it was a close call–if the customer hadn’t put out the fire, the sparks could have gotten into the ventilation system above the coffee pot and spread. Hardee’s was closed briefly for cleaning.