SHELBY, N.C. — A fire damaged a barbecue restaurant in Shelby on Thursday.
The fire happened at Red Bridges BBQ Lodge on Dixon Boulevard. The Shelby Fire & Rescue Department responded to the fire and fire crews controlled it in 15 minutes.
Red Bridges BBQ Lodge announced on social media that it will be closed until further notice. The fire was contained within the firewall, according to the post.
“It’s just scary, because this is my life, this is my world,” the owner Natalie Ramsey said. “This is the only job I’ve ever had, and my employees are my family. So, I was petrified.”
Ramsey is a third-generation owner since her grandparents founded it nearly 80 years ago. Ramsey said they were burning the pits off, a process they use to clean the grill, when the fire got out of control.
“It just hurts my heart, it really does," Ramsey said. "People don’t realize how much this really is and how much goes into what we do. There is a lot of damage. It just hurts my heart, but it’s fixable.”
Ramsey said they have a lot of smoke damage and are currently focused on clean up. The pit will have to be rebuilt, and that will take time. In the meantime, they are grateful no one was hurt and for the support they’ve received.
“Our friends, and our customers and employees we have got are amazing,” Ramsey said. “We are just so blessed to have such a great community loving on us.”
Ramsey said, although the pit is gone, they have some cookers in the back. Their goal is to be back and open sometime next week, and their longtime customers are looking forward to it. Randy Murray, a Sneads Ferry resident, visited Bridges for the first time 30 years ago and stopped to get a bite when he was meant with the news.
“I’m glad it was not worse to shut them down," Murray said. "I hope it doesn’t hold them up for too long. I just love North Carolina BBQ, I do. I love the smell and the taste of BBQ, and I love the fixings.”
“I’ve been to Bridges many times, many times," Bill Walker, another longtime customer, said. "It is famous in this area. I understand they will be open and underway soon. And that is a good thing for everybody who loves BBQ.”
The restaurant has been open at the Dixon Boulevard location since 1953, according to its website. It has been serving the Shelby community since 1946 and finished first in a 2019 USA Today reader's choice article for the best barbecue in North Carolina.
Shelby Fire and Rescue shared the estimated damages were around $30,000.