A historic Apache Junction restaurant caught fire early Tuesday morning and is a “total loss,” a fire official said.
The Mining Camp Restaurant opened its doors in 1961 and promised diners family-style meals with a side of Arizona history.
“The walls are mostly gone,” said Richard Ochs, Superstition Fire and Medical District assistant fire chief. "The only part that’s still standing is the back where the kitchen was. Not much left, I’m afraid, at all.”
Ochs said the first call came in just after 3 a.m. Tuesday and by the time the first crew arrived, the building was too hot and smoke-filled to enter.
The wooden structure burned down to the brick base ringing the foundation. Ochs estimated the damage at $950,000.
The crew was able to save an adjacent building where the family who runs the restaurant lives.
Ochs says the spot was well-known to the community and often a destination for tourists.
“It was common for folks to stop by a fire station and ask for directions on how to get to the place.”
No one was hurt in the blaze, and investigators are still determining the cause.
