Just weeks after the business opened, a fire ripped through a DeKalb County restaurant early Thursday, authorities said.

According to DeKalb fire officials, the blaze started about 4:20 a.m. in the kitchen of Mamaw’s Country Kitchen, which opened Dec. 29 in the 4700 block of Memorial Drive near Decatur.

When firefighters arrived, heavy smoke was shooting out of the building, Capt. Eric Jackson said.

Still, crews were able to get the fire under control in about 30 minutes by ventilating the fire through the roof and extinguishing flames inside the building, Jackson said.

Owner Ivey Beck told Channel 2 Action News she closed for the day at 12:30 a.m.

No one was inside at the time of the fire, which destroyed the restaurant, Channel 2 reported.

A fire destroyed Mamaw's Country Kitchen in the 4700 block of Memorial Drive near Decatur about 4:20 a.m., according to officials. (Photo by Phil Skinner)

Credit: PHIL SKINNER

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Credit: PHIL SKINNER

“The business had started to pick up,” Beck said. “... Where are they going to eat now?”

Beck said she will have to decide whether to rebuild the family-owned restaurant.

No other businesses in the area were damaged.

— Photographer Phil Skinner contributed to this article.

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