South and Vine Public House, located on the corner of South Main and West Vine streets in downtown Statesboro, received devastating damage due to a fire caused by unknown factors.

The restaurant’s grand opening was Feb. 4th, 2013, only a year and half before this overwhelming fire. According to Casey Arnett, owner of Dèjá Vu: Upscale Resale Consignment Boutique located next to the restaurant, the building was “totally up in flames.”

“So, half of their building, where the kitchen is, just completely fell down to where the firefighters cut a lot of it. It’s just completely ruined in there. Wires are hanging down, you name it,” Arnett said.

South and Vine was not the only business to fall victim to fire damage. Arnett’s store also had considerable damage.

Arnett said, “All of my clothes are ruined, smoke just goes through them, my floor is totally sooted, my bathroom is bubbled up where the linoleum was and it’s all black now and just everything has that soot. Everything is ruined.”

Rumors of what caused the fire:

“I heard grease fire, I heard panel box, I heard a fryer was left on, who knows?”

– Casey Arnett