MURRELLS INLET, SC (WBTW) – No charges will be filed in an investigation into a fire at a Murrells Inlet restaurant, deputies say.
Chief Norman Knight with the Murrells Inlet – Garden City Fire Rescue says crews were called to the scene around 12:50 a.m. on Tuesday, May 1.
A Georgetown County Sheriff’s Office police report initially stated that the bar’s owner, Don Wayne Crownover, 61, was suspected of starting the fire. The report also said the owner told the fire investigator he had stopped by the restaurant around 10 p.m., to turn on some lights.
Jason Lesley with the Georgetown County Sheriff’s Office says after a two-week investigation, evidence collected from the ruins of the restaurant does not support a charge of arson.
Murrells Inlet Garden City Fire Inspector Captain Tom Zimpleman says due to the collapsed roof and the amount of damage, the cause of the fire is still undetermined. Investigators do say they have not ruled out the possibility that the fire was electrical.