Gavin Stone
The Virginian-Pilot
(TNS)
The building that was consumed by fire Tuesday night the Virginia Beach Oceanfront is a “total loss,” according the fire department, along with the three business inside.
The affected establishments are the T-Shirt Factory, The Maple Tree Pancake House, and the King of the Sea restaurant in the 2600 block of Atlantic Avenue. The property they sit on is valued at more than $1.8 million, according to the city’s latest assessment, with the structural value estimated at just over $488,000.
The fire started at T-Shirt Factory at about 5:17 p.m. and spread to the two restaurants, which sit on either side.
In a Facebook post on the Maple Tree’s official page Tuesday night, the restaurant looked ahead at an uncertain future.
“Everyone is ok and we were closed when the fire started at a neighboring business and spread,” the post read. “42 years in business and it’s gone just like that.”
They thanked their customers for their business and messages of support, adding, “As to what’s next, we’re not sure…”
The only injury in the fire, which burned for more than five hours, was a firefighter who was burned. There were two people in T-Shirt Factory at the time of the fire, and “not many” in the King of the Sea, according to a spokesperson for the fire department.
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