Feb. 01--A three-alarm fire early Friday morning destroyed a business along Restaurant Row and shut down Kings Highway for six hours while crews battled the blaze.
Charred remains is all that is left of the New China Buffet at 9601 N. Kings Highway near Lake Arrowhead Road, a site that left owner Mandy Zheng trying to process what had occurred. She said she was scared and nervous when she got that early morning call saying the business had burned.
"It was something like a bad dream," she said while standing near the still smoking remains of her restaurant as fire investigators searched for clues as to what may have started the blaze. It is expected to take them a couple of days to determine the cause of the fire.
New China Buffet, which has eight employees, has been operating on Restaurant Row for about five years, Zheng said. She said Friday morning that she was still processing what had happened and doesn't yet know when or if the restaurant will reopen.
Battalion Chief Dan Shankle said someone passing by the restaurant called 911 to report the blaze about 2:30 a.m. Friday. Crews from Horry County, North Myrtle Beach and Myrtle Beach responded to the three-alarm fire.
Fire crews have three tiers to categorize blazes based on the manpower and resources needed to battle it, Shankle said. They also consider the size of the structure.
"The whole building was involved when we arrived. It was burning pretty intense when we got here," Shankle said. "It is so hard to get in front of a building like that when it's fully involved."
It took about 40 minutes for firefighters to get the blaze under control, he said. Kings Highway reopened shortly after 8 a.m.
Firefighters worked to get the fire inside the New China Buffet under control and minimize damage to a nearby restaurant, the Giant Crab, Shankle said. No one was hurt during the fire.
Horry County Fire Rescue Chief Fred Crosby said there was some damage to the Giant Crab because the restaurant's windows cracked in the heat from nearby flames.
No one was at the Giant Crab early Friday and its sign noted the business was closed for the season.
Firefighters also had to use caution arriving at the blaze because of icy road conditions, Shankle said. While on scene firefighters also had to be mindful of the cold temperatures and their health.
"When the firemen stop working, you start getting cold fast afterwards because you are sweating from the activity and all the turnout gear," Shankle said. "It takes a lot of people initially to get the fire knocked down."
The last large fire in Horry County was March's blaze at Windsor Green where 26 condo buildings were destroyed by a wildfire.
Check back for updates more information will be posted as it becomes available.
Contact TONYA ROOT at 444-1723 or follow her at Twitter.com/tonyaroot.
Copyright 2014 - The Sun News (Myrtle Beach, S.C.)
