Saturday night shortly before 9:00, there was a fire at Middleburg Steak and Seafood.  No one was injured.

Vance County Fire Chief Chris Wright said, “The fire started in the kitchen in the wall behind the cooking grill and went straight up the wall and got into the attic access on the second floor and traveled down a little ways before they were able to catch it.”

With the age of the building and how much wood is present, the chief agreed, when asked, that the establishment was lucky.

Wright offered no damage estimates on the building, but he said, “About 20 percent of the building was damaged though.”

There is no time table for reopening the restaurant this soon, but the owners have expressed appreciation and other kind words on the restaurant’s Facebook page.

The initial dispatch of fire fighters was Drewry Fire Department, Vance County Fire Department and the Cokesbury Fire Department.  The Vance County Rescue Squad responded as well.  There was mutual aid from the Bearpond, Ridgeway and Soul City fire departments.

As many Vance and surrounding county residents know, the restaurant is housed in the Middleburg Community House, which was constructed in the early 1930s as a Civil Works Administration project.