A four alarm fire earlier this week severely damaged Savenor's Supermarket, the Kirkland Street shop famous for drawing eminent chefs as customers and stocking an exotic selection of foods.

The fire began at 1:04 a.m. Tuesday after a light fixture overheated and ignited an attached strip of wood, according to Deputy Fire Chief Frank E. Murphy. The fire spread to the roof, collapsing it in the rear and destroying all of the store's contents. The blaze also damaged Savenor's Liquor Mart next door, he said.

It took about an hour and a half to bring the fire under control and fire fighters remained at the store until 10 a.m., Murphy said.

There was no one inside the building at the time of the fire, but two firefighters were injured while battling the blaze. Captain of Rescue Steven Boyle was treated for a sliver of glass embedded in his lower leg and fire fighter Kevin Kelly received slight injuries after he put on his helmet, into which glowing embers had fallen, according to Murphy.

Savenor's was known for its unique food selection, including ostrich eggs, elephant nose soup, deer paws and wild game such as giraffe and zebra.

The exotic fare drew celebrities, including television chef and author Julia Child, who lives nearby, and Joe Perry of the rock group Aerosmith, said Marc E. Savenor, co-proprietor of Savenor's Liquor Mart, Child visited the supermarket site the day after the fire and "couldn't believe it," Savenor said.

'Great Loss'

In an interview yesterday, Child described the destruction of the supermarket as "a great loss." She said she has frequented the store since she moved to the neighborhood 32 years ago and is good friends with the Savenors.

"Every one in our neighborhood patronized there. It's our local market," she said. Child said she was first drawn to Savenor's when she noticed that an elder Savenor cut meat in the "European fashion."

"He wasn't cutting it with a buzz saw. He was cutting along the seams," Child said.

"It's not like going to an ordinary store," Marc Savenor said. "We know everybody's name, we joke around with them. If we didn't have something, we'd order it. It's unique."

Despite the loss, Savenor said he remained hopeful about the future. He commended the Cambridge Fire Department's efforts and said he hopes to reopen the market soon.

"We're going to come back bigger and better, so all you educated consumers get ready," he said.

Murphy estimated the damage at about $250,000, but said the structure of the supermarket was still salvageable. The liquor store next door has shut down, as required by state fire safety regulations, Savenor said.

Child said she will probably shop at a nearby Star Market or at the farmer's market in Lexington until Savenor's Supermarket returns.