Fire damages Lake Arthur restaurant
LAKE ARTHUR — An investigation is continuing into the cause of an early morning fire Tuesday that damaged Notts Cajun Restaurant in Lake Arthur.
Authorities were alerted to the fire around 4 a.m. by a passerby who noticed smoke coming from the closed restaurant.
Ryan Lege, who has owned the local landmark restaurant since last year, said fire trucks were everywhere when he arrived at the scene, but that the fire had already been put out.
The cause of the fire has not been released.
The fire appeared to be contained in the east wall near the drive through window and a waitress/staff area but the interior of the restaurant sustained water and smoke damage throughout, Lege said. As a result, the restaurant will be closed until further notice.
“We will have to see what the day brings us, but I’d like to see it back open,” Lege said. “It means a lot to this town and has been here for what seems like forever. It’s like a second family.”
Manager Monica Lacombe has been working at the restaurant for 25 years under several owners. First as a waitress, then the manager.
“I got the call at 4 a.m. and I came over here,” Lacombe said. “I was stunned and shocked. It’s depressing to have had this happen to our employees and customers, especially at Christmas….but we are going to come back.”
The restaurants employs about 25 people, Lege said.
The restaurant was built in the mid-1980s and was most noted for its giant crawfish sculpture outside and Cajun cooking.