Fire destroys mother-daughter cafe in Lexington
Brooker T's Cafe just opened up in May, but now it will have to re-open. Less than half a year after its opening, its owners are already facing a massive challenge.
Brooker T's Cafe just opened up in May, but now it will have to re-open. Less than half a year after its opening, its owners are already facing a massive challenge.
Brooker T's Cafe just opened up in May, but now it will have to re-open. Less than half a year after its opening, its owners are already facing a massive challenge.
Fire officials said the cause of today's fire is still under investigation.
Brooker T's Cafe just opened up in May, but now it will have to re-open. Less than half a year after its opening, its owners are already facing a massive challenge.
It caught fire Tuesday afternoon.
The cafe is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, so no one was there during the fire.
Brooker T's Cafe is owned and operated by Tammy Cornell and her daughter Brooke Bishop.
Cornell heard her business was on fire and quickly got in touch with a friend at the fire department
"He called me and said do you know and I said yes and I said how bad is it and he said, it's bad," she said.
After the call came in around 3 p.m., fire crews forced their way in.
Forty firefighters from a number of different departments responded to the scene. Their quick response prevented the fire from spreading to the top floor or adjacent business.
"I do feel like we were fortunate it happened in the daylight hours when there were people around and very aware of what's going on. If it happened in the middle of the night with not as many people around it could've gotten worse a lot," said Michael Tofano, deputy fire chief of the Lexington Fire Department.
Crews were on scene assessing damage until after 7 p.m.
It was employees at another eatery — Rustic Roots on Main Street — that first noticed the flames from across the street.
"They're a neighbor and had they not seen it and called 911 so quickly the whole building would be gone I'm sure," said Tammy Cornell. "They're not a competitor."
Cornell said it's symbolic of the Lexington community, even in the immediate aftermath she and her daughter were surrounded with support.
"I had 50 friends on the square. My pastor was here, we had a prayer circle in the middle of the street. We have such a good community and we'll be ok because our community will get us through it," Cornell said.
And even as the debris was being swept away, the mother-daughter duo said their dreams won't be lost that easily.
"We're going to build back we're gonna make it work and with god's grace and the right people we're gonna come back better than we were before," said Brooke Bishop.