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AHOSKIE – The investigation continues into what sparked a fire that gutted the interior of the Ahoskie Bojangles restaurant on Sept. 28.

Ahoskie Fire Chief Michael Bradley said on Tuesday of this week that an investigation by the local fire department and the Ahoskie Police failed to determine a cause.

“We could not determine an exact cause of the fire, only that it started in the kitchen area of the restaurant,” Bradley stated.

He added that the agency handling the insurance policy on the building has sent an investigator to the scene.

“They came last week and interviewed us as to what we saw on the night of the fire as well as watching a video shot on the night of the fire,” Bradley noted. “They haven’t made a final ruling on what caused the fire.”

He shared that a decision remains to be made by the owners of the franchise on the future status of the building.

“They haven’t decided what to do….tear it down and build again or leave the structure intact and repair the damages to the interior,” Bradley said. “I guess they are awaiting on their insurance company.”

The fire was reported by a passerby shortly after 11:30 p.m. on Sept. 28. The restaurant had been closed for several hours by that time.

Flames were showing through the roof when the first Ahoskie Fire Department unit arrived on the scene a few minutes later.

All totaled, four units and 16 firefighters from Ahoskie Stations 1 and 2 battled the blaze. The last fire suppression unit left the scene at 3:08 a.m. although one AFD service vehicle and the Ahoskie Police remained overnight to secure the building.

The restaurant is located at 1203 North Academy Street.