Popular Hilton Head restaurant devastated by mid-morning fire, new photos show

New photos show the extent of the damage done to The Crazy Crab restaurant on Hilton Head’s north end in a devastating mid-morning Wednesday fire, and authorities now know more about what caused the blaze.

Firefighters first arrived at the restaurant at 9:36 a.m., according to a Hilton Head Island Fire Rescue press release.

The fire started as employees started preparing for lunch prior to the restaurant’s 11 a.m. opening time. A pot caught fire and an employee moved it from the stove to the sink and turned on cold water, according to the release. At that time the fire flashed, which spread it to other items and injured the employee who was moving the pot.

The employee’s injuries were non-life threatening, but they were still transported to a hospital said Fire Rescue spokesperson Joheida Fister Wednesday morning.

There is fire damage to the kitchen and also to the attic, where the fire spread after it flashed in the kitchen, the release said. The popular restaurant has also incurred significant water damage.

There has not yet been a determination of the cost of the damages, according to the release, but early Wednesday afternoon Fister indicated that she did not expect the restaurant to reopen in the foreseeable future.

When the fire broke out, there were roughly 10 employees in the restaurant, and all of them evacuated the building, the release said.

Firefighters had the blaze under control by 11:28 a.m., the release states.

The fire was determined to be accidental, according to the release.

This story was originally published March 7, 2018 at 4:52 PM with the headline "Popular Hilton Head restaurant devastated by mid-morning fire, new photos show."