Fire ravages historic Maurice’s Piggie Park BBQ building in Midlands, SC officials say

There was a large fire overnight at the Maurice’s Piggie Park barbecue complex in West Columbia, according to South Carolina officials.

The fire was at the Midlands restaurant chain’s distribution center, the City of Cayce Fire Department said at about 10:30 p.m. Saturday. That’s in the 1600 block of Charleston Highway in Lexington County, not far from Exit 113 on Interstate I-26 and the Columbia Metropolitan Airport.

The distribution center is next to the Maurice’s Piggie Park BBQ restaurant that has been in the location since 1953, according to its website.

“You can’t miss us with our larger-than-life 75 foot iconic BBQ sign,” restaurant officials previously said on the website.

The West Columbia Fire Department was battling the blaze in the burning building, and flames could be seen shooting through the roof toward the sky.

They were joined by members of the Cayce Fire Department, Lexington County Fire Service, Columbia Fire Department and Irmo Fire District.

No injuries were reported, the Cayce Fire Department said at about 10:30 p.m.

As of 6:45 a.m. Sunday, crews were still at the scene but the incident was under control, according to the West Columbia Fire Department. There was no word about what time the fire started.

The cause of the fire is under investigation, the West Columbia Fire Department said. They did not say if foul play was suspected.

Information about the extent of the damage to the distribution center — and if it was considered a total loss — was not available. There was no word if the fire spread to other buildings in the area.

It’s possible the fire could affect the other eight Maurice’s restaurants in the Columbia and Lexington areas, as they rely on the distribution center for the food at the other locations.

Overnight, the fire departments urged people to avoid the area. As of 7 a.m., only Middleton Street was still shut down, and all the other roads in the area had re-opened for travel, according to the West Columbia Fire Department.

This is a developing story, check back for updates.