VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — One year after a devastating fire at 27th and Atlantic Avenue, crews continue rebuilding.
The fire destroyed three businesses: the Maple Tree Pancake House, King of the Sea restaurant, and the T-shirt Factory.
No injuries were reported. Firefighters still do not know the exact cause of the fire, but they say it was accidental.
Watch: Business rebuilding after 2023 Oceanfront fire
Deputy Fire Chief Vance Cooper with Virginia Beach Fire Department responded that night.
“We actually had to bring in two excavators in and disassemble and tear down the front half of the building so we could get to the fire where it was seeded in the building. We weren’t able to send firefighters in like we normally do. It was too unsafe,” said Cooper.
Developer Matthew Vakos talked about the status of the rebuilding.
“We’re finally at the point where we’re seeing light at the end of the tunnel,” stated Vakos. “The brick work is going in, the exterior of the building is looking good, and we’re planning on having our doors and windows installed this week.”
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The property has been in the Vakos family for decades. He said it’s been a lot of hard work, but he’s appreciative they could return.
“This was a real tragedy and very unexpected,” Vakos said. “We really just had to accept the loss and pull it together, get with insurance companies, architects, everybody came together to really expedite the situation. It’s been a lot of hard work for sure, but we’ve had a tremendous amount of support from the community and the City of Virginia Beach, especially.”
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Two restaurants and a shop will occupy the space. One will be another breakfast restaurant and the other will be a casual Mediterranean restaurant, according to Vakos. The restaurants will take longer to build and are expected to be open by next Spring or Summer.
The T-shirt Factory will return and is expected to open by this September. Owner Avinash Basnet said this location is special to him.
“This was our first location when we moved from Ocean City, Maryland. That was our original location,” explained Basnet. “Coming back is also hard, but we’re going to but we’re going to build it and be strong and do well.”
