There was a three-alarm fire Saturday evening that caused significant damage to the Maurice’s Piggie Park complex in West Columbia, and all of the local chain’s restaurants will be affected.
Maurice’s main barbecue restaurant in the 1600 block of Charleston Highway, which has been at that location since 1953, was not damaged by the fire, Maurice officials said on Facebook on Sunday. But that location, along with the seven other restaurants, will all be closed as of Monday.
That’s because the fire destroyed the chain’s distribution center, food preparation area and administrative offices, Marquis Solomon, chief of the West Columbia Fire Department, told The State Sunday. The building was severely damaged and could be a total loss, according to Solomon.
“The BBQ Pits, food preparation and processing facilities and our offices are completely gone,” the Piggie Park family said in a Facebook post. “The wells have been burning here since 1992 and it breaks the hearts of our family and loyal employees to see this tragedy strike us. Our BBQ pits here are where all our meats and sides are prepared, and there is an incredible mountain for us to climb.”
Maurice’s restaurant in West Columbia was closed Sunday and will remain that way “for a while,” according to an employee who answered a call. But all other locations in the Columbia and Lexington areas were open for business. That will change from Monday.
Because their food will soon run out, possibly before the end of the work day.
The restaurants are dependent on the distribution center for food at their location.
“We plan to keep all of our restaurants closed on Monday until further notice,” Maurice officials said. “We will take it day by day as we work to reopen and rebuild.”
Maurice’s other locations are:
▪ Lake Murray Boardwalk in Irmo
▪ Elmwood Avenue in downtown Columbia
▪ Divine Street in Colombia
▪ Clemson Road in northeast Columbia
▪ Oneil Court in northeastern Columbia
▪ West Main Street in Lexington
▪ South Lake Drive in Lexington
“Our barbecue areas here are where all our meats and sides are prepared, and there is an incredible mountain ahead of us to climb,” Maurice officials said. “…For anyone who knows our family, know that we will not give up and will work endlessly to do what we need to do to continue the BBQ legacy and support our 150 employees and the community we love so much .”
According to Solomon, the West Columbia Fire Department was alerted to the fire after 9 p.m. Crews battled the fire inside the burning building and flames could be seen shooting through the roof toward the sky.
Solomon said it took about two hours to get the fire under control and four hours to extinguish it.
No injuries have been reported.
In addition to the West Columbia Fire Department, the cause of the fire and its place of origin are being investigated by the ATF, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division and the South Carolina State Fire. Foul play has not been ruled out, Solomon said.
“The iconic BBQ sign is safe and firefighters were able to take it down and give us the American flag that is still flying,” Maurice officials said on Facebook.
