Raging fire destroys popular New Smyrna Beach restaurant and bar

A fire gutted a popular New Smyrna Beach restaurant and bar Thursday morning sending embers and ashes all over, a neighboring motel's manager said.

The business, the Ocean Breeze Tiki Bar at 521 Flagler Avenue, was a total loss, said New Smyrna Beach Fire Department Chief Shawn VanDemark.

VanDemark said the loss could be more than $500,000.

Volusia County dispatchers said the structure fire was reported at 6:30 a.m.

Kevin Corbi, the manager of the Seahorse Inn, which is next door to the Ocean Breeze Tiki Bar, said he was still in bed when he saw the orange glow from the fire.

"I rolled over in bed and got a glimpse of the light and I thought it was the sunrise because it was orange," Corbi said.

But Corbi, a retired firefighter from Bridgeport, Connecticut, thought it strange that the sunrise was moving.

"I could see the light swirling, and so I put on my glasses and I saw it was a fire," Corbi said.

Corbi said the fire developed so fast that it quickly engulfed the business even before firefighters got to the scene.

"It took off instantly. By the time I got my phone and called 9-1-1 the whole second floor was gone," Corbi said.

According to the Volusia County Firefighters Association, several fire engines, tower, and ladder trucks were deployed to combat the fire. They were assisted by firefighters from Volusia County Fire Rescue, Edgewater, and Port Orange.

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No injuries were reported to civilians or firefighters, VanDemark said.

Firefighters got to the scene and discovered the entire rooftop was on fire so they requested a second alarm so additional resources could be sent to fight the blaze, VanDemark said.

The restaurant and bar were on top of a building constructed in 1971. The structure also housed a gift shop on the ground floor which was not affected by the fire.

"The rooftop had a concrete floor so the fire was largely contained to the rooftop," VanDemark said.

The Florida State Fire Marshal was called to investigate and determine the cause of the fire, he said.

The city of New Smyrna Beach Fire Bureau will also assist with determining the cause of the fire.

Corbi said he also made sure the motel's two-year-old roof was safe from fire debris.

"Smoke and embers were flying everywhere so I was out there making sure no embers fell on the roof of the Seahorse Inn," Corbi said.

New Smyrna Beach Mayor Fred Cleveland at an impromptu news conference outside the restaurant had spoken with the owners and said "they are obviously heartbroken. This is a landmark facility on the end of Flagler. This is their life's work."

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Flagler Avenue restaurant in New Smyrna Beach destroyed by fire