HENRIETTA (KFDX/ KJTL) — The owners of a very popular Texoma restaurant are left figuring out their next steps after a massive fire tore through their home and business over the weekend.
Knic Knac’s Steak and Seafood House in Henrietta will be closed until further notice as they deal with the damage left behind by the blaze.
“I was in that room right there, in that bed actually, sleeping on the right-hand side when my dog came,” owner James Fee recalls.
The events that took place over the weekend, when he woke up and found himself in the middle of a raging fire.
“I opened the door and the smoke just hit me and blew me back. The heat and the smoke. So the closest room that I knew I could get outside was the guest bedroom up here,” James Fee said.
James said his dog and him kicking out of an upstairs window are what saved his life. He and his wife Ellen own Knic Knacs Steak and Seafood House, and Sunday morning their beloved restaurant that they also call home, went up in flames. Ellen said when she got the phone call she was at a loss for words.
“We ended up having a tragedy on our hands. It’s emotional, it really is. It’s devastating when you come back, and I was away, and I didn’t know what happened until after the fact. So I had to come back to the restaurant and see all this and it was very emotional,” Ellen Fee said.
The fire completely burned through the Fee’s living area, as well as the kitchen, serving and dining area, all of which had just undergone renovations when the restaurant reopened in their new Henrietta location just back in July.
“Soon as I came back here I just cried and I just said all of our hard work to get our restaurant up and running, and now we have to start all over again,” Ellen Fee said.
While the damage is extensive, Ellen said it could’ve always been worse. And, it’s thanks to their furry four-legged friend that it wasn’t.
“My husband is alive which I’m glad. My dog Reebok saved him and if he wasn’t there, everything would be probably burnt. We wouldn’t even have half of the house,” Ellen Fee said.
So what do they need?
Ellen said she and James will be okay but asked that other local businesses think of their employees, who are now out of work right before the holidays.
“My staff, if anybody has any temporary work for them to help them. That would be wonderful so that they can move forward with their lives. They’ve got young kids,” Ellen Fee said.
As for what’s next, Ellen said they have plans to fully reopen one day. Maybe even with a new design and that they are thankful for their entire community for the prayers and well wishes. But again, especially, thankful for their dog Reebok.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
If you’d like to find out how you can help the staff over at Knic Knac’s, you can contact Ellen at ellenfee1111@gmail.com