Fire scorches Flavors Restaurant in downtown Rocky Mount

A fire on Friday morning scorched Flavors, a popular restaurant in Rocky Mount.

The fire started around 7:30 a.m. and took around 40 minutes to extinguish, firefighters said.

The interior of the restaurant was blackened, and scorch marks reached the second-story of the downtown brick building.

WRAL News spoke with Jeraldo Whitehead, the owner, who said he was in shock but grateful no one was inside when this happened. 

"Honestly, I don't even know what to think," Whitehead said. "This is definitely not how I expected to start my morning. I was expecting to come in like a normal day, check on my employees to make sure we have everything for the day, and this is what I pull up to."

The popular restaurant serves soul food and is located at 119 N. Washington St.

Whitehead said there is no doubt in his mind that he will rebuild, but it's too soon to say if it will be at the same location.

"This will not be the last of Flavors in Rocky Mount," Whitehead said.

An investigation is underway to determine the cause of the fire.