The SETI Institute's Allen Telescope Array survived a massive Northern California wildfire this week that briefly disrupted its search for life in space.

"Yes, we are up and running again," said the observatory's senior software engineer, Jon Richards, in a Saturday e-mail to Ars.

Power was disrupted Tuesday and the facility's 42 antennas got too hot and had to be powered down to cool off before resuming operation Friday. The observatory almost went up in smoke after the Eiler fire jumped a highway days ago and came within a mile of the antennas.

The nearby eatery in the Lassen National Forest, however, didn't fare as well.

"The Bar K restaurant, about a five-minute drive from the observatory and a favorite luncheon spot for those at the Array, was destroyed after the fire crossed highway 89," the observatory said in a blog post.

The observatory project began in 2001 when the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation donated $11.5 million to get it off the ground.