A fire Sunday afternoon destroyed the Celebrations Restaurant and Bar banquet hall in Cape Girardeau.

Firefighters responded to reports about 2:40 p.m. of intense smoke and flames coming from the rear banquet hall at 615 Bellevue St.

Connor Luebbert, a bartender at the restaurant in front of the property, was one of the first people to notice the fire.

"I'd walked out and just saw smoke and called the fire department," he said. "At first, I thought maybe it could have been [someone cooking] or something, but there was just too much smoke."

Intense flames destroyed the banquet hall, known as the studio, but firefighters kept the blaze contained to that part of the building.

Cape Girardeau firefighters begin an aerial attack at a fire Sunday afternoon at the banquet hall of Celebrations Restaurant and Bar, 615 Bellevue St. in Cape Girardeau. (Fred Lynch)

"Pretty much every weekend in December, we had that rented out," Luebbert said.

Owners James and Pat Allen said since the main dining room and kitchen are on the opposite side of the studio, the damage won't cause the restaurant to close.

"We may have to shuffle some things around, but we have other locations. We're covered," James Allen said.

"It won't affect the restaurant being open," Pat Allen said. "It will be business as usual on Tuesday."

She said all told, the fire wasn't as bad as it could have been.

"It's just stuff," she said. "We're just thankful that nobody was hurt."

Battalion Chief Brad Dillow said nobody was injured in the fire. Damage to the burned building was extensive, but firefighters still were investigating what may have caused the fire.

"Right now, it's still undetermined. We're still investigating, and the state fire marshal has been called in," he said.

Pat Allen said a furnace and a water heater were in the area where the fire started.

Dillow said although a monetary accounting of the damage likely won't be completed until later in the week, the affected part of the structure was a complete loss.

Neighbor Thomas Meyer noticed damage to a small shed and some signs he keeps on adjacent property.

"That fire must have really pushed out," he said.

Dillow said it would be possible for the restaurant's owners to reopen the restaurant part of the business because the damage was contained to the banquet hall.

tgraef@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3627

Pertinent address: 615 Bellevue St., Cape Girardeau, MO