MARTINSVILLE (WSLS 10) - Walsh's Chicken and More is a total loss after a fire. More than 10 employees are without a job after a blaze ripped through the restaurant early Wednesday morning -- calling the attention of up to 50 firefighters. The fire marshal said there's close to half a million dollars in damages.
They say lightning doesn't strike in the same place twice, but with heavy duty kitchen equipment fires can.
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"I was thinking not again, because we've already did this," said Emily Walsh. "We've been through this before when I owned it."
Emily Walsh built Walsh's Chicken and More from the ground up back in 1971. Since then, she's passed the business onto her son - who did not want to speak with media about what happened.
Walsh also owns Sparky's Convenience Store, right next door. She said the fire brings on a feeling of ‘déjà vu'.
"I can't believe it," commented Walsh. "Again, it was completely demolished in 1989 and now, we we're doing it all over again."
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When fire crews received the call around 6 a.m. Wednesday, they responded within a matter of minutes. The thick smoke and heat of the blaze prevented firefighters from entering through the front door, instead they had to fight the flames from the outside - working their way in. The fire was out by 8:30 a.m. and no one was injured, but that doesn't make the loss any less painful for the Martinsville community.
"We've all eaten in this restaurant before and it looks like the fire was in the kitchen area," said Martinsville Fire Chief Kenneth Draper. "The building was secure. There's no reason to believe there was any suspicious activity was going on around here."
Now, the fire marshal is investigating to find out what started the fire. Both Sparky's and Walsh's Chicken and More have closed their doors due to fire damage.
"I guess our boss will tell us something when he comes back today, if not I'll just look for another job," said Roberta Grabely, who works at Sparky's.
The fire marshal said Wednesday is payday for restaurant employees. Luckily, they were able to salvage the paychecks from the blaze. Despite the loss, restaurant management says they plan to rebuild.