Downtown Athens eatery has second fire in less than two years

Aftermath of Sunday’s fire

By Joe Johnson

Firefighters for the second time since 2023 had to extinguish a fire at a restaurant in downtown Athens that was caused by greasy rags.

The fire happened Sunday at the Last Resort Grill on West Clayton Street in an outdoor storage area for used grease and oil-soaked rags, according to county Fire Marshal Rick Vaughn.

“While the restaurant utilized approved containers for rag storage, the containers were full at the time of the fire, and a bag of rags had been placed outside the container,” he said.

The fire was contained to the fenced storage area, which was constructed of wood.

Vaughn noted that the incident closely resembled a fire in October 2023, after which time the structure was rebuilt closer to the restaurant, with a separate storage area created for used rags.

“The fire on Sunday originated in the grease storage area of this new structure,” Vaughn said.“Following an investigation, the Fire Marshal’s Office determined that the fire was caused by spontaneous combustion of grease-soaked rags that were not properly stored.”

He added his office is working with the business owners “to ensure proper disposal methods are implemented to prevent future incidents.

“Discussions are underway regarding enhanced abatement measures, including more frequent disposal of grease-soaked rags,” the fire marshal said.