CALABASH, NC (WWAY)– The Brunswick County Fire Marshal is working to determine what caused the fire that destroyed a well-known restaurant over the weekend.
“Losing Ella’s is like losing one of our citizens here in town. When you have a business that has been established for over 70 years and it has become a major figure in your town, the loss is really hard to describe,” said Michael Price, Calabash CGFO Commissioner.
Ella’s Seafood of Calabash is one that many know and love, including the Calabash Fire Department, who extinguished the flames.
The Calabash Fire Department responded to a call for a kitchen fire at Ella’s around noon on Saturday.
Chief Keith McGee says that by the time his crew arrived, flames were already shooting through the roof of the building.
“Unfortunately, the fire had advanced beyond what we were able to control inside, and once it vented and it got enough air, basically the entire roof lit off. So, we had to bring crews back out and start defensive operations to try and control the fire,” said Calabash Fire Chief, Keith McGee.
While no one was hurt, Chief McGee says the building is a total loss.
“There was a slight delay as they were trying to extinguish the fire and evacuate the restaurant before we got the call. They were obviously concerned about the customers and trying to get everyone out safely. So, I think there might have been a little bit of a delay in the reporting of the fire, but that’s understandable given the situation,” said McGee.
McGee says residents and visitors aren’t the only ones sad over the loss of such a long-running business.
“As a matter of fact, our firefighters, there’s a harpoon on the wall, they always ate near that harpoon. It’s something special to them, so we made sure we were able to get the harpoon out, and I say we saved it, but it has a little bit of damage. But hopefully they rebuild, and that harpoon can be a part of that new building,” said McGee.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation. WWAY will provide more details as they become available.