Blaze destroys diner

BARTON - The task of trying to determine what started a fire that destroyed a Colbert County restaurant began just before lunch Wednesday, and officials say it could take several days to find the answer.

Crews, under the supervision of the State Fire Marshal's Office, began removing what was left of the metal roof from Kuntry Kafe.

Firefighters from Barton, Cherokee, Locust Shores and Highway 247 departments were dispatched to the business on U.S. 72 at 12:56 a.m. Wednesday.

When they arrived, there was little hope of saving the business in Barton.

"When we pulled up, flames were coming through the roof," said William Hogeland, fire chief of the Barton Volunteer Fire Department.

"The entire building was involved (with fire)," he added. "The fire had burned through the roof on the southeast corner, and there was no stopping it once it got through the roof. All we could do at that point was try to contain it and keep it from spreading."

Kuntry Kafe is one of three businesses in a cluster. The other two received little damage.

Hogeland said fire investigators tried to look through the remains Wednesday afternoon to see what, if anything, could be found that may have triggered the fire.

Emergency personnel said someone driving by saw the fire and reported it to 911 operators.

"It was an old building, and once it started, it went in a hurry," Hogeland said.

He said firefighters worked nearly four hours trying to contain the blaze.

Tina Cook and her husband, Buddy, have owned the restaurant for nearly two years. She said they closed the business at 4 p.m. Tuesday as usual. She said they were awakened early Wednesday morning by a caller who gave them the news.

"The cook would have been there at 4 a.m., so I'm glad she hadn't gotten there and no one was hurt," Cook said.

Hogeland said the building has housed several businesses through the years, including a flea market, auction house and two or three restaurants.

"It's been a little bit of everything," he said.

Cook said she and her husband have put a lot of their lives into the business. She said they haven't determined what they will do now.

"We've talked about building back, but we just don't know," Cook said. "We'll get through this and then we'll decide what to do."

Tom Smith can be reached at 740-5757 or tom.smith@timesdaily.com.