Fire damages landmark restaurant
The Daily News

Published July 20, 2005

KEMAH — A Kemah landmark was in ruins Tuesday as investigators searched for the cause of a fire that destroyed part of the What’s Cookin’ restaurant, 930 FM 518, Monday morning.

Investigators believe the fire started in the restaurant’s kitchen, but they are unsure exactly where or what caused the blaze, said Kemah Volunteer Fire Department Chief Larry Suniga.

Firefighters were called to the restaurant at 6:13 a.m. Monday, reports said.

When crews arrived, smoke was billowing out of the roof, Suniga said.

Kemah crews were assisted by firefighters from Webster, Seabrook, Pasadena, League City and Bacliff. They put out the fire in about two hours, Suniga said.

The kitchen and second floor of the restaurant were destroyed, he said. The rest of the building was damaged by smoke and water.

The damage is so severe, Suniga said, that the restaurant’s insurance company could decide it is cheaper to rebuild rather than repair the building.

Suniga said the What’s Cookin’ restaurant had been open for about 20 years.

See Also: Unedited Source Photos

Kemah eatery is gutted by fire

By: JARED DENNISTON, The Citizen

07/20/200

Fire officials are trying to determine what caused an early-morning blaze on Monday that gutted a West Kemah restaurant.

According to Ray Cook, fire chief with the Seabrook Fire Department, firefighters from eight different cities responded to the blaze at the restaurant and pub, What's Cookin, on Monday.

Firefighters from Dickinson, Pasadena, Seabrook, Kemah, Webster, Bacliff, League City and Nassau Bay were called in to relieve other emergency workers who began showing signs of heat exhaustion after responding to a call at 6:13 a.m. about heavy smoke in the area.

By the time crews got to the scene, Cook said, the building was engulfed in flames and firefighters who were first on the scene were quickly succumbing to heat exhaustion, brought on by the combination of the fire's blistering heat and Houston's ever-present stew of extreme temperature and humidity.

"The first-in crews made aggressive interior attacks and that just cooks them...that's why so many stations responded," said Cook.

The four firefighters that exhibited signs of heat exhaustion were treated on the scene and released, said Cook; no other injuries were reported.

Officials said firefighters extinguished the fire at 8:24 a.m.

No other buildings in the area seemed to have been damaged in the fire, said officials.