Fire behind Last Resort in downtown Athens ruled an accident; no fire damage to Morton Theater

A fire that ignited in a detached storage building at the rear of The Last Resort restaurant in downtown Athens appears accidental in nature, according to the Athens-Clarke County Fire Department.

“There is no suspicion of foul play,” Fire Capt. Nathan Moss said Thursday.

The fire appeared to have started Tuesday as a result of the contents of the storage building combined with heat that caused an ignition, according to Moss. The building contained an assortment of towels and cooking ware products.

The Last Resort owner Melissa Clegg said earlier that the fire did not affect the operation of the restaurant. The area behind building where the fire was contained was transformed into a garden area with tables for dining service.

Firefighters who responded to the fire also forced an entry into the Morton Theater, the rear of which faces the area where the fire took place.

“Due to the circumstances they just forced entry into the building,” Moss said. The firefighters looked for any sign of a fire in the Morton and none was found.

City and Morton officials said the amount of damage is being assessed. The damage will not affect the Morton's plans to provide a free screening of the movie "Candyman" on Friday, Oct. 13.

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This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Athens fire investigation found nothing suspicious about downtown fire