A Morgan County restaurant that has been a local favorite for more than half a century is currently closed after a fire damaged the building last weekend.
According to Morgan County Fire Chief Garrett Smith, firefighters responded to a structure fire call at around 11 p.m. on April 4 at Bonner’s Triple B Restaurant near Seven Islands Road.
The original caller said the hot water heater was on fire and that everyone was out of the building.
“Lt. Jake Mason was riding on Battalion 1 for the shift and arrived on scene at 11:09 p.m. to find the kitchen of the restaurant fully involved and the fire spreading rapidly into the dining room,” Smith said in a press release. “Engine 4 from the Buckhead Fire Station arrived at 11:11 p.m., and a defensive fire attack was initiated at 11:15 p.m. until additional resources could arrive on scene.”
According to Smith, Mason requested an all-county response for manpower and water, and mutual aid was also requested from Greene County with E11, BN1, and Fire Chief Rodney Wiggins responding to the location.
“Additionally, the Greshamville Volunteer Fire Department sent Tanker 5 to the scene,” Smith said. “Tanker 5 is an 8,000-gallon super water tanker. Oconee County Fire Rescue also responded with their air truck to fill used SCBA bottles during the incident.
Units responding from Morgan County included Engine 16, Battalion 1, 1601, Engine 4 and Tender 4 (Buckhead), Pumper 7 and Tender 7 (Clacks Chapel), Engine 8 and Tender 8 (Bethany), Pumper 11 (Sugar Creek), Knocker 5 (Godfrey), as well as additional volunteer firefighters from Fire Station 3 (Bostwick), Fire Station 5 (Godfrey), Fire Station 6 (Fairplay), and Fire Station 9 (Rutledge).
“Once additional resources arrived and water supplies could be sustained, an interior fire attack was made by Morgan County Engine 16 and Greene County E11 crews,” Smith said. “Firefighters were able to make a quick knockdown on the bulk of the fire. Due to the way the building had been added onto over the span of many years, there were many void spaces and chases where fire was able to spread throughout the walls and between the ceiling and the tin roof. Additionally, the building’s old rustic timber construction and years of grease-laden vapors from cooking led to a rapid spread of the fire.”
Crews had to work extensively to overhaul and expose fire burning in the walls and ceiling while applying hose streams to keep the fire knocked down until it was brought under control around 4 a.m. The fire was declared extinguished at 5:26 a.m., and all members and apparatus were released from the scene.
“I am extremely proud of the hard work put in by the members of Morgan County Fire Rescue, [and I’m] grateful to Greene County Fire Rescue, Oconee County Fire Rescue, and Greshamville Volunteer Fire Department for their assistance,” Smith said. “We are very fortunate the family was awake when the fire started, or this might have ended on a more tragic note. There is no magic formula for putting the fire out. It takes equipment, manpower, and water to do so. We have an exceptional group of firefighters, and when the equipment and water get to the scene, we are able to do exceptional things.”
“Since 1971, we have served love and catfish to our beloved customers,” the restaurant owners said in a Facebook post following the fire. “Unfortunately, our doors will be closed while we try to process this. Your prayers and support are greatly appreciated. Thank you to all the firemen, rescue, police, family, and friends for working tirelessly through the night.”
As of press time, a GoFundMe page has raised $3,395 to help the restaurant’s rebuilding efforts. Anyone interested in donating can visit gofund.me/bcb6a307.