'The roof collapsed in several places': Crews battle Murrells Inlet restaurant fire

A fire swept through a Murrells Inlet restaurant early Tuesday morning, causing the roof to collapse and leaving only the outside walls standing.

Crews responded after 12:50 a.m. to Broken Spur Rib & Steakhouse, formerly T-Bones Steak House & Saloon., at Pendergrass Avenue and Ocean Highway.

Chief Norman Knight, of Murrells Inlet-Garden City Beach Fire Rescue, said an investigator worked Tuesday to figure out what started the fire. The cause is still unknown.

"The roof collapsed in several places," Knight said. "It did a lot of damage to the building."

Max Jones, the property manager, said the restaurant had been vacant for nearly two years until a new tenant opened the restaurant in February. Jones said the investigation is ongoing, but as of Tuesday afternoon, the building still had some "hot spots."

Murrells Inlet-Garden City and Midway fire rescue crews worked the scene. It took about 45 minutes to an hour for firefighters to get the fire under control, Knight said.

Reporter Alex Lang contributed to this report.

Hannah Strong: 843-444-1765, @HannahLStrong

This story was originally published May 1, 2018 at 5:28 AM with the headline "'The roof collapsed in several places': Crews battle Murrells Inlet restaurant fire."