Crews, Business Owners Return to Scene of Fire

The fire happened at 3309 Fort Bragg Road Saturday evening. The firefighter, whose name was not released, was treated for heat exhaustion but was expected to be OK.

Crews spent most of the day Sunday putting out hot spots and making sure the area was safe as business owners added up how much they lost.

Lee Howell watched as his business of 10 years burned to the ground.

“A lot of history, a lot of memories, a lot of hard work,” Howell said.

Tasos Hasapis owns the Fish Fry. While his building was still standing, the fire left its mark - a busted sign, broken glass and smoke damage to the entire roof. It will be days before he can reopen.

Firefighters said they don’t know exactly where the fire started or how. They do know it could have been a lot worse. That's because one of the buildings involved was an auto paint shop. The fire never reached dozens of flammable canisters.

“That could have accelerated the fire. You could have had minor explosions,” said Richard Bradshaw with the Fayetteville Fire Department.

Inside that paint shop, somewhere, was Donna Dixon’s car - a 1991 limited edition Camaro convertible. It was just one of several cars that were destroyed.

“I just can’t believe it. After all these years, the irony of the weekend that I brought it in, this fire happens,” Dixon said.