Basnight's restaurant destroyed by fire
By Andrew Bell
Published in News on May 1, 2007 1:53 PM
The Lone Cedar Cafe, owned by state Sen. Marc Basnight, succumbed to a two-alarm fire at about 1 this morning, causing more than $1 million in damages, according to Nags Head officials.
The fire was noticed by a passing motorist at about 12:45 a.m. About 50 firefighters from nine different fire departments responded to the scene to fight the blaze, Nags Head public information officer Roberta Thuman said. Dare County emergency management and emergency medical services also arrived on the scene, she added.
No one was in the building at the time of the fire and no injuries were reported on the scene, Ms. Thuman said. The damage to the building was reported to be a total loss.
Ms. Thuman said that it is too early to determine a cause to the fire, but Nags Head Public Safety and the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation are investigating the incident, which is a standard procedure for any fire in the town.
Basnight, the president pro-tempore of the state Senate, owns the restaurant, which is located at 7623 S. Virginia Dare Trail between Manteo and Nags Head on the causeway.