VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) – It’s been one week since a massive fire destroyed three Oceanfront businesses in Virginia Beach, and the cleanup efforts for the area continue.
The Maple Tree Pancake House, The T-Shirt Factory, and the King of the Sea Restaurant were destroyed in the fire. Many people say Atlantic Ave is not the same without the historic building, which is now unrecognizable.
Since the fire, the area was open, but now it is fenced off to protect people and to also stop them from stealing items from the rubble.
The police department says taking items from the rubble without the owner’s consent is larceny, and depending on the value it could be a misdemeanor or a felony. Fire officials also say it’s also dangerous to go through the rubble.
“They don’t realize it is not a very safe thing to do. There is not only sharp object, trip and fall hazards. There was a fire in this building. Fires produce chemicals that are known cancer agents,” Virginia Beach Assistant Fire Marshal Jim Ingledue said.
Benjamin Bodner lives across from the businesses and said was in his parking garage and caught the thieves on camera.
“I noticed that people, people climbing in the rubble, I said, Well, that’s pretty unusual. And then I see one of them come away with a mannequin that was lying in the rubble,” Bodner said. “I see another group of them walking across the street, and sort of cheering them on to bring the mannequin back across the street. I’m like, Oh, that’s not good. I better say something to somebody this is a sacred site.”
The owners of the three destroyed businesses are also still working to pick up the pieces and look to the future.
The owners of the Maple Tree Pancake House, who have owned their business on the Oceanfront for 42 years, tell 10 On Your Side that after speaking with the property owner, they say a new building could be built by April 2024. The popular restaurant has also started a GoFund Me to raise money for rebuilding.
Businesses that weren’t directly affected by the 3-alarm fire are also working to get back to normal. Lyfestyle Meals is located next to the destroyed businesses and the owner says his business only had some windows blown out and some damage to an upstairs office.
However, the owner, Colin Smith, did say what affected his business the most was the electricity being shut off for several hours, which caused them to throw a lot of their fresh food away.
“We are definitely on the smaller side of business scales and when you suffer that kind of hit, you feel it,” said Lyfestyle Meals owner Colin Smith.
The Virginia Beach Fire Department is still investigating the cause of the fire, but they do believe it was accidental.