Fire Destroys Remains of Former Down Under Restaurant

Local firefighters worked well into the early morning hours to extinguish an accidental fire that occurred at the former site of the Down Under Restaurant in Waves.

The two-story restaurant had been demolished during the day on Tuesday, June 27 by East Coast Abatement and Demolition, but the remains of the structure caught fire at approximately 7:30 p.m.

Both the Salvo and Rodanthe components of the Chicamacomico Banks Volunteer Fire Department, as well as the Avon Volunteer Fire Department, responded to the fire. State Troopers also assisted with managing traffic, which slowed down during periods of heavy smoke.

The fire was completely extinguished by 4:30 a.m. on Wednesday morning. “It was a pile of rubble to start with, so the fire was deep into the site, and we had difficulty getting to all the [pockets of fire],” said Chicamacomico Banks Fire Chief Mike Daugherty. “It was an accidental fire – it wasn’t a controlled burn.”