HARTFORD - Crews from three fire departments battled a large fire at the Hartford Paradise Family Restaurant on Grand Ave. near Monroe Ave. on Sunday morning. But the actions of quick thinking customers and staff may have saved lives. Click on the link under related content to see raw video of the Hartford Fire Waitress Karen Nanez was starting her early morning shift when a customer's comment led her to an awful discovery. "He says, 'Oh Karen what are you burning?'" She ran to the kitchen and saw smoke billowing from a light fixture. "I've never been so scared in all my life, but I didn't panic," Nanez said. Instead, she got the other six people out of the burning restaurant. Firefighters reported that flames were shooting through the roof when they arrived on the scene just after 7 a.m. Before long, flames engulfed the building. Mutual aid crews from Slinger, St. Lawrence and Richfield helped battle the fire from the outside of the building. It's a total loss. It is hard to comprehend for owner Frank Fejzuli. "Twelve years I've worked here. It's all gone," Fejzuli explained. Nanez feels the same way. She's worked at the restaurant for years. She loves her boss and her customers. Now she can't go back to work. "You have a job one minute and the next it's gone, you know," Nanez said.