TOWNSEND, Tenn. — A Townsend restaurant owner said their business was destroyed overnight after a fire consumed the building.
Little River BBQ went up in flames in the early morning hours on Sunday. The restaurant was located on the eastern side of the town along the Little River near the gateway to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Townsend Area Volunteer Fire Chief Don Stallions said the fire department responded shortly after 5 in the morning
"Building was pretty much fully involved at that time," said Stallions. "We realized that we're probably, we already had a partial collapse on the roof. We're preparing for a full collapse on the roof."
Stallions said the Townsend Police Department was also on the scene with a drone.
He said this was the first time the fire department used this technology to help with a fire.
"One of their officers is a licensed drone pilot who was able to put the drone in the air and we were able to see hotspots and it really helped us out a lot on how we would attack the building," said Stallions.
Stallions said his department's big goals were keeping a propane tank from exploding and keeping the building beside the restaurant from catching on fire.
"Team overall did a great job, but that's a hard fight when you're in between two buildings like that. Magnifies the heat. There's nowhere to really where you can self-rescue. So it's a hard fight and they put up a good fight to save the structure," said Stallions.
The owner, Terry Haley, said the restaurant was a "total loss." At the moment, Haley said they don't know what caused the fire. He said the restaurant was open the night before.
Little River BBQ had been part of the Townsend community for many years and was open seasonally. Haley did not want to be on camera for an interview, but he said he's owned the business since 2019.
He said he plans to rebuild, but insurance only covers damages up to $400,000. He said the damages are estimated to be between $800,000 and $1 million. He said he also leases the land the restaurant is on.
He said when his son called and told him the restaurant was on fire, it brought up feelings like a relative had died.
Stallions said there have been overnight fires in Townsend in the past.
"That's a phenomenon we don't really understand is why they seem to happen at night. Probably because nobody's around to catch them so they tend to build up and into a major fire before they can catch it," said Stallions.