Four days after a fire destroyed a well-known Lillian restaurant, the building's owner says he may eventually rebuild a smaller building.
Tim Lett, who built the wood building on Highway 98 over the course of 18 years, says the fire cost him more than $1 million. The owner of the restaurant, who was considering buying the building, says they are struggling financially because of the fire.
"It was here for a while," Lett said. "You know I worked on it for 18 years and about two years people got to enjoy it."
The Pirate's Cantina Mexican Grill burned down early Friday morning. Investigators haven't yet determined a cause, but Lett says he was told the fire didn't start in the kitchen as originally thought. The fire continued to burn over the weekend; firefighters had been on the scene nonstop through Monday night.
At the scene of the fire, Lett was hoping to recover some of the hundreds of collectibles that made the building so unique.
"There was a bronze cannon and we're still looking for it," Lett said. "I can't believe that bronze cannon melted."