Following a kitchen fire at Sion's Mexican Restaurant in Manhattan Beach, a GoFundMe fundraiser has been created to assist the restaurant family during the time that the restaurant expects to be closed.

"At the moment, we are unsure when we will be back up and operating, as reparations to our kitchen and the smoke/fire damage may halt us for a few months," said Christine Orozco, daughter of Sion's owner Jesus Orozco. "Any donations will be directed toward damages and providing relief for the Sion's family while we are temporary closed."

The GoFundMe was set with an initial goal of $10,000, but it rocketed past that amount in its first seven hours. 

"It's impossible to put into words what this restaurant and the people that work there mean to our family," wrote an anonymous donor who contributed $1,000. "We have been going there for decades and have celebrated many family milestones there. One of things that got us through the pandemic was looking forward to getting back to Sion's and seeing the people we consider to be friends."