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Editor's note: This article has been updated to more accurately reflect the number of business owners affected by the fire and correct a fundraising date.
Several business owners look to rebuild their stores after a fire broke out in a Georgetown shopping center Oct. 16.
What we know
The fire started around 9 a.m. at 1000 Oaks Center, a strip mall located off Leander Road, said Jennifer Riker, the manager at Office Lounge, a bar located within the shopping center.
While the investigation is ongoing with the Georgetown Fire Department, Riker said current information suggests the fire started inside Office Lounge.
“We believe it to have been an accidental electrical fire,” Riker said. “We’re really grateful nobody was in the building and nobody was hurt.”
The fire department has not confirmed the cause or starting location of the fire yet, but the department hopes to release its findings in the next few days, a Georgetown Fire Department official said in an email Oct. 30.
Diving in deeper
The fire spread onto several rooftops, causing significant ceiling damage for a number of stores, 1000 Oaks Center landlord Scott Schneider said on Oct. 29.
Electricity was restored at A Plus Cremation, Georgetown Orthodontics and Family Barn, and Schneider said he's working on restoring power to Fix Devices and Dolce Music Studio.
Given severe roof damages, several businesses will require more long-term solutions for electricity, including:
In their own words
Office Lounge passed an inspection with the fire department within the last six months, Riker said.
“We are devastated,” Riker said. “I’ve been the manager of that bar for 20 years, and it has put a lot of our employees out of work.”
A fundraiser for Office Lounge employees will be held Nov. 2 at Roadhouse Bar in Round Rock, Riker said.
“That’s a community, that’s a family that we’ve built there,” Riker said. “Not being able to see our guests and our friends is really rough on all of us.”
