Representatives from the Alabama Fire Marshal’s Office visited Atmore on Monday, to investigate the scene of a Sunday fire that destroyed The Parish Grill.

The fire began at approximately 1 a.m. and gutted the interior of the restaurant, which had only opened a few months earlier. The cause of the fire is still under investigation by the Alabama Fire Marshal’s Office.

The buildings on either side of The Parish Grill sustained only minor damage, according to Carl Anderson, who owns the buildings for both Carl’s/The Tot Shop and The Smith Trading Company.

Anderson said that Carl’s/The Tot Shop was essentially “open for business” Monday, although he was still waiting for the power to be turned back on. He expected The Smith Trading Company to have its power returned soon as well.

“We had a little water damage and smoke damage [at Carl’s/The Tot Shop] but otherwise nothing too bad,” he said. “We spent a lot of time mopping up water but we’re just waiting to get our lights back on and then we should be fine.”

Anderson said he received a phone call from the Atmore Police Department at approximately 1:30 a.m. Sunday telling him that The Parish Grill was on fire.

“I didn’t really know what to think,” he said. “We just had to come down and see what was happening. It was scary because the fire re-ignited so many times during the night, and the flames were licking at the side of [The Smith Trading Company].”

Anderson said he stayed downtown watching the firefighters battle the flames, and did not go home until about 6 a.m.

For more on this story, see the Wednesday, Oct. 15, edition of The Atmore Advance.