Noah Feit – The State
There was a large fire overnight at the Maurice’s Piggie Park barbecue complex in West Columbia, according to South Carolina officials.
The fire was at the Midlands restaurant chain’s distribution center, the City of Cayce Fire Department said at about 10:30 p.m. Saturday. That’s in the 1600 block of Charleston Highway in Lexington County, not far from Exit 113 on I-26 and the Columbia Metropolitan Airport.
The fire also affected the administration and food prep areas, West Columbia Fire Chief Marquis Solomon told The State Sunday.
“It didn’t involve the restaurant,” Solomon said.
The distribution center is next to the Maurice’s Piggie Park BBQ restaurant that has been in the location since 1953, according to its website.
“You can’t miss us with our larger-than-life 75 foot iconic BBQ sign,” its website says.
The West Columbia Fire Department was alerted about the 3-alarm fire after 9 p.m., according to Solomon. Crews battled the fire in the burning building, and flames could be seen shooting through the roof toward the sky.
They were joined by members of the Cayce Fire Department, Lexington County Fire Service, Columbia Fire Department and Irmo Fire District.
No injuries were reported, Solomon said.
“We are absolutely devastated to share that we suffered a horrible fire last night at our headquarters at Maurice’s Piggie Park … . The BBQ pits, food preparation and processing plant facilities, and our offices are completely gone,” the Piggie Park family said in a Facebook post. “BBQ restaurants are uniquely susceptible to fire loss, we hear this way too often in our tight BBQ community, and it is heartbreaking to see these 69 years of hard work and generations of memories at this location burned to the ground.”
One person called the fire “a blazing inferno,” on Facebook.
Solomon said it took about 2 hours to get the fire under control, and 4 for it to be extinguished.
“Our family wants to extend a tremendously huge thank you to the 50 firefighters and first responders from all counties in the area that worked all through the night to contain the fire and get it under control,” Maurice’s officials said on Facebook.
As of 10:45 a.m. Sunday, crews were still at the scene but the incident was under control, according to the West Columbia Fire Department. The crews are taking care of hot spots and beginning to investigate, Solomon said.
In addition to the West Columbia Fire Department, the cause of the fire, and the point of origin, is being investigated by the ATF, South Carolina Law Enforcement Division and South Carolina State Fire. Foul play has not been ruled out, Solomon said.
“We’ll be on scene throughout the day,” Solomon said.
“The iconic landmark BBQ sign is safe, and the firefighters were able to take down and give us the American flag still waving,” Maurice’s officials said on Facebook.
The building was heavily damaged, and is possibly a total loss, according to Solomon. It’s not known if any other buildings in the area were affected by the fire, but Solomon said a nearby hotel was evacuated as a precaution.
Overnight, the fire departments urged people to avoid the area. As of 7 a.m., only Middleton Street was still shut down, and all the other roads in the area had re-opened, according to the West Columbia Fire Department.
It’s possible the fire could affect the other eight Maurice’s restaurants in the Columbia and Lexington areas, as they rely on the distribution center for the food at the other locations.
“The pits have been burning here since 1992, and it breaks the heart of our family and loyal staff to see this tragedy hit us,” Maurice’s officials said on Facebook. “Our BBQ pits here are where all our meats and sides are prepared, and we have an unbelievable mountain to climb ahead of us.”
The restaurant next to the distribution center will be closed for “some time,” according to an employee who answered a phone call. The restaurant is normally scheduled to open at 10 a.m., according to its website.
“Our Charleston (Highway) restaurant is closed today, but the other locations across the Midlands will be open today until food runs out. We plan for all our restaurants to be closed Monday until further notice,” Maurice’s officials said on Facebook. “We will be taking it day by day as we work to reopen and rebuild. For anyone who knows our family, knows we won’t give up and will work endlessly to do what we need to do to continue the BBQ legacy and support our 150 employees and community we love dearly.
“For the tradition of SC BBQ we hope to continue on for more generations to come!”
Separate fire
Another longtime barbecue restaurant in the Carolinas recently was damaged by fire in an unrelated incident.
On Thursday, 79-year-old Red Bridges Barbecue Lodge in Shelby, North Carolina, was closed following a fire, The Charlotte Observer reported.
The restaurant owners said that fire was contained within the building, but officials haven’t released information about a cause or the extent of damage.
There is no information connecting Thursday’s fire to the blaze in West Columbia.
Controversial history
Maurice’s Piggie Park for years was the center of racial controversy.
Late owner Maurice Bessinger was a prominent and longtime advocate for segregationist views, who appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court to defend his right to refuse service to Black customers after passage of the Civil Rights Act in the 1960s. His restaurants long displayed the Confederate flag in front of them and offered diners pamphlets defending a “biblical view of slavery.”
After Bessinger’s children took over the chain of barbecue restaurants, the flags were removed.
“We want to serve great barbecue and be known for that. Not for politics,” Lloyd Bessinger, who is Maurice’s son and one of the business’ operators, said in 2016.
This is a developing story, check back for updates.
A barbecue king’s children struggle to overcome the taint of his racist past
Barbecue eatery owner, segregationist Maurice Bessinger dies at 83
Maurice’s Piggie Park lawsuit alleges racism, sexual harassment at Columbia restaurant
©2024 The State. Visit thestate.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
