EVERETT — The owner of a restaurant that was destroyed by fire early Monday worries that the $2 million blaze may have been deliberately set.
Emory Cole, owner of Emory’s on Silver Lake, said it appears the fire started on the restaurant’s deck or in the nearby lounge.
A series of photos taken from across the lake show the fire in its early stages licking up from the side of the restaurant facing the water. The building featured an expansive deck overlooking Silver Lake.
Cole said a recent flurry of as many as 10 arsons in Seattle’s Greenwood neighborhood makes him wonder if the fire at his restaurant was arson, too.
“It’s awfully odd and awfully suspicious to see the other fires the same morning,” he said.
Everett city officials on Monday were sharing few details about what they are learning about the blaze.
“The investigation is still continuing,” city spokeswoman Kate Reardon said.
She also declined to share where investigators believe the fire likely started.
Emory’s opened in 1994 on the site of the former Silver Beach Resort, a private park dating back to the 1930s. The restaurant was Cole’s dream. It featured Mediterranean and Asian-inspired cuisine and quickly became a popular hangout for locals.
Cole, the former mayor of Mukilteo, is now contacting insurance officials and beginning to plan how Emory’s will come back. Rebuilding a business he invested 20 years of his life into won’t happen quickly, he said. He wants to rebuild.
“That’s our intention,” he said. “I’m not ready to retire yet.”
Meanwhile, Cole is doing everything in his power to find work elsewhere for his former employees, including calling other restaurant owners.
He worries about what will happen to the people who relied on him for a paycheck as the holidays approach.
“I have 50 employees looking for gainful employment,” he said. “I’ve got some great people if anybody out there needs need good servers, hostesses, cooks or bartenders.”
Potential employers can contact him through his Web site at www.emorys.com, he said.
Those who wish to help his staff can donate money to funds at any branch of Cascade Bank or Citybank.
Debra Smith: 425-339-3197, dsmith@heraldnet.com.
Help Emory’s staff
You may donate cash to help the staff of Emory’s on Silver Lake, which was destroyed by a fire Monday morning, at any Cascade Bank or Citybank, 1504 132nd St. SE, Mill Creek. The name of the Citybank fund is “Emory’s Assist 2009.” At Cascade Bank mention Emory’s restaurant.
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