Bowling Green Restaurant Damaged By Lightning

This weekend’s powerful storms damaged a very popular restaurant in downtown Bowling Green. The roof of Steamer’s Seafood caught fire late Saturday night after lightning apparently struck a power line causing it to land on the roof of the building.

"It’s a great place for everyone to come and gather and enjoy each others company, the music, just the atmosphere is amazing." says Jill Smith, a local downtown business owner. 

Steamer’s Seafood is a popular place to grab a bite to eat in downtown Bowling Green. As guests were eating dinner, a fire began on the roof of the building. Within minutes the entire building filled with black smoke.

Firefighters were able to contain most of the fire to the roof, but the total amount of damage is still unknown.

"We’ve got to assess the damages to figure out what we need to fix. That’s the part we don’t know right now. So we are going to spend today with about 15 people from a construction company down here going through every detail of the building, every little piece of equipment, to every board in here assessing everything that needs to be replaced or fixed." says Dale Augenstein, the owner. 

The restaurant is located in the oldest standing residence in Warren County dating all the way back to 1818. Ever since they have opened in May of 2016, the food and the owner, Dale Augenstein, have made quite the impression on the community.

"Personally, to me and my family, Steamer’s is much more than a restaurant. Not only the employees here and the owner, but everything Steamer’s does outside of the walls of the building. Dale Augenstein is one of the most giving and philanthropic people that my family and I know. He loves this community dearly." says McCall Allen, a Steamer’s customer. 

For now the main goal is to fix all the damages so the restaurant can continue to serve the community.

"To the community, we hope to be back as soon as we can. Thousands and thousands of customers eat with us every week and we will be back as soon as we possibly can." says Augenstein.

Augenstein says he has seen an outpouring of love and support from the community since the fire.