Fire that destroyed 3 Virginia Beach Oceanfront businesses ruled accidental, investigation ends
VBFD says its fire investigators
By Madeline Miller
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VIRGINIA BEACH, Virginia (WTKR) — VBFD says its fire investigators, along with insurance investigators, have finished looking into the 3-alarm fire that destroyed three Oceanfront businesses.
Officials began investigating the fire, which broke out in the area of 27th and Atlantic on July 11, shortly after firefighters worked to contain the massive fire. Crews believe the fire started around 5:15 p.m., and it took over five hours of work from more than 75 firefighters to extinguish it.
Authorities reached the following conclusions after investigating, VBFD says: the fire started in a void space just below the roof of the structure, and the direct cause of the incident is undetermined.
The structure was shared by three businesses: the T-Shirt Factory, Maple Tree Pancake & Waffle House and the King of the Sea restaurant. The department says the void space where the fire started ran the whole length of the structure. Therefore, investigators ruled out the possibility that the fire started at one of the three businesses, according to VBFD.
Additionally, officials say while the direct cause is undetermined, they have classified the fire as accidental. VBFD says reaching these conclusions marks the end of the investigation.
Officials also shared that property owners are responsible for the clean-up and future plans for the site.
News 3 previously spoke with the owner of the Vakos Development Company, Matthew Vakos, which owns the now-destroyed property and building. At the time, he called the loss of the structure a “piece of broken history.”
Owners who lost their businesses in the fire also expressed their grief: Maria Lindroos, whose parents ran Maple Tree Pancake & Waffle House before it was destroyed, said the restaurant was an integral part of her family’s lives for decades.
“This was a devastation to my family. This is what my parents do every day. This is their one and only business,” Maria told us.
The Vakos Development Company hasn’t shared any future plans for the area yet.
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