DENTON, N.C. - Davidson County fire crews are not only dealing with ice Saturday morning, but also a major fire.
It happened around 6:15 a.m. at the Classic Family Restaurant in Denton.
"This is terrible. This has been here for a long long time,” said Denton homeowner, Renae Harwell. “It's really bad."
Neighbors gathered on Newsom Avenue to see what was left of the Classic Family Restaurant. Instead of catching up, they all watched in disbelief.
"It's a valuable loss. Isn't it? It is,” said Juanita Strickland. “That's where everybody met, to eat and come together and all."
Around 60 firefighters from 8 departments including Davidson County helped to control the fire.
"It was just blazing up,” said Kevin Everheart, who watched the flames since it started. “I mean burning probably 30, 40 feet above the building."
Six stores in the small complex were either destroyed or heavily damaged.
"Firemen were doing all they could do but it was just old,” Everheart said. “More fire than there was water that's for sure."
The thick smoke could be seen hovering around the community casting a dark haze.
Everheart, a friend of the Classic Family Restaurant owners, said they plan to rebuild.
"We'll just have to wait, you know, they'll figure out what's going on," said Everheart.