Fire damages legendary Franklin Barbecue in Austin
The renowned Franklin Barbecue suffered heavy fire damage overnight, the Austin Fire Department said early Saturday.
The fire started in the pit room adjacent to to the main dining room at Franklin, owned by James Beard Award-winning pitmaster Aaron Franklin and known for long lines and world-class brisket.
The room that houses the pits suffered “heavy damage” but firefighters were able to contain the fire, resulting only in smoke damage to the dining room and public portion of the restaurant.
Owner Aaron Franklin hopes to reopen the restaurant in a few weeks.
Officials say the cause of the fire was accidental.
Franklin BBQ final, cause accidental, wind blown ember from fire pit ignited combustible surroundings. $200k structure $150 content damage.
— Austin Fire Info (@AustinFireInfo) August 26, 2017
Indefatigable Aaron Franklin says despite damage @FranklinBBQ being worse than he expected, he hopes to reopen in a few weeks."Story to come pic.twitter.com/WfY2icBCAs
— Matthew Odam (@odam) August 26, 2017
