MABELVALE, Ark. (KTHV) – Three Sam’s BBQ was the go-to lunch spot; people in and out of the area are upset to see it gone after Monday’s fire.
So, what’s next for this popular BBQ joint?
One customer from out of town said, “We were coming to eat, we come here every time we go to Little Rock.”
Another customer living just a few blocks away added, “When I crossed the railroad track and didn’t see any cars I thought, ‘well, what’s wrong,’ I’m kind of sad right now.”
The cause of the fire has not been confirmed, but people in the area said they heard a loud boom around the time it started. They think a truck drove through the parking lot, pulling down electrical wires, including the main wire to the building getting pulled out of the meter box.
Owner Sammy Jones is still in shock at how quickly his business disappeared; he said there’s nothing you can do but move forward.
Jones explained, “I hadn’t been gone five minutes and Bill, a friend of mine, called me that owns a truck shop down the street, said the joint was on fire.”
The question around town is, “Will the restaurant rebuild?”
Jones can’t say if they’ll rebuild or not; he’ll just have to see what happens.
Many community members stopped by the restaurant throughout Tuesday to see how they can help. If you’d like to help, a GoFundMe was started. You can check it out here.
