A fire in the roof of the outside bar at AJ's Seafood & Oyster Bar lit up the night sky over Destin Harbor on Tuesday night.

DESTIN – A fire in the roof of the outside bar at AJ’s Seafood & Oyster Bar lit up the night sky over Destin Harbor on Tuesday night, but did surprisingly little damage to the building itself.

“If you want to see what 15,000 palm fronds burning looks like, look at the video from last night,” AJ’s owner Alan Laird said.

Laird was in good spirits Wednesday morning as he and about 30 others worked to remove items burned or melted by the fire and clear the deck area around the Club Bimini bar.

And why not? As spectacular as the fire looked from several vantage points around the harbor, no one was injured, the restaurant below the bar area was untouched and the bar area itself remained structurally sound.

Laird estimated about $50,000 in total damages, most superficial enough that he was planning to have the restaurant open Wednesday and Club Bimini rocking again by this weekend.

Laird said the fire seemed to have started in an electrical room, but the state Fire Marshal’s Office was called in Wednesday morning to investigate and determine a cause, according to Destin Fire District Battalion Chief Jimmy Taylor.

The Fire Marshal’s findings were not being released Wednesday, Taylor said.

Laird said, all things considered, “I don’t think a fire could have gone smoother.”

A sprinkler system in the bar area did its job, Laird said, putting water where it needed to be but not activating in areas where water could have caused damage. Sensitive electrical equipment on a stage in one corner of the bar area was unscathed.

Destin firefighters moved in quickly from the front of the building and contained the burning fronds that top the circular bar in about 20 minutes.

“They did a lot to preserve the bar,” Laird said.

Winds pulled flames from the blaze upward and the fire itself burned vertically, Laird said. Several valuable items hanging in the bar area fell to the floor, where accumulated water protected them from the flames.

A group of about 200, primarily snowbirds, had been present mid-afternoon for Banjorama, a live musical show. The show had ended by the time the fire started and bar manager Brian McGee estimated “about 90 percent” of the crowd had left.

McGee was bartending in the downstairs restaurant when someone came in and reported the fire. He said he and two other managers stepped outside and knew they’d have to evacuate the building.

“You could look out on the water and see the glow,” McGee said. “We came in and said ‘Everybody get out.’ ”

The restaurant area was “untouched” by fire and also avoided water damage, McGee said. Patrons left so quickly, four untouched entrees still sat on one table.

Wednesday morning McGee was back at the restaurant waiting for power to be returned to the building.

“As soon as we get the power on we’ll be ready to roll,” he said.

Laird said photos and videos of the AJ’s blaze had received 2 million hits on various social media sites, many from across the state and country.

“I’d like to thank everyone for their concern,” he said.

He was also keen to invite some of the 2 million who’d checked out the fire to return to Destin to see what he jokingly referred to as a new bar feature.

“We are now officially the only truly 'topless' oyster bar on the Gulf Coast,” he said.

Laird said the fire would not delay the openings of two new bar/restaurants he will co-own.

AJ’s Oyster Shanty on Okaloosa Island could open as early as this weekend, Laird said, and the Mirage restaurant at the former Mango’s at the foot of the Cinco Bayou Bridge is slated to begin doing business in April.



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DESTIN — Some 20 people escaped unharmed Tuesday night after part of the second floor at AJ’s Seafood & Oyster Bar caught fire.

Tracy McCraw, AJ’s marketing director, said the fire started in the restaurant’s Club Bimini section.

“Nobody was hurt,” he said. “Everybody got out safely. It was calm and orderly.”

PHOTOS the morning after AJ's fire

The spectacular blaze drew onlookers as word spread on social media and among AJ’s employees. The stretch of U.S. Highway 98 near AJ’s was closed for a short time.

“At first, I just saw smoke and, from one second to the other, flames consumed the roof completely,” said Dylan Keuning, who was sitting at a picnic table near AJ’s.

PHOTOS of fire at AJ's Seafood & Oyster Bar

McCraw did not have a damage estimate. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

VIDEO of fire at AJ's Seafood & Oyster Bar

Destin Fire Control District Chief Kevin Sasser was behind the first fire truck to arrive at the scene.

“There was smoke and flames coming from the top of AJ’s,” he said. “The roof was fully involved.”

He said his priority was to make sure no one was still in the restaurant and to contain the fire.

Club Bimini’s thatched roof produced embers that wafted toward Destin Harbor and the charter fishing boats docked there.

Sasser estimated it took firefighters about 30 minutes to douse the flames. They then searched the interior for hot spots.

Crews from Okaloosa Island, Fort Walton Beach, North Bay and South Walton fire departments assisted at the scene.

McCraw said the restaurant would reopen as soon as possible.

“This iconic place is not going away,” he promised. “We’re here to stay.”