BAY MINETTE — Eugene Overstreet, owner of Street's Seafood Restaurant, a long-time staple in the North Baldwin community, said he was sitting in the dining room eating when the fire started.

“From the time I got up from the table and stepped back into the kitchen, flames you would not believe were going everywhere,” Overstreet told GCM.

With the employees being unable to put out the fire on their own with the business's fire extinguishers, Bay Minette Fire Chief Mike Minchew said firefighters received a 911 call at 11:15 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 1, regarding a commercial structure fire at the establishment on Highway 31, along with reports of heavy smoke from the area.

The first fire truck arrived at the scene within five minutes of the call, with fire coming out the rear of the structure and responders being able to make entry through the front door.

According to a press release from the City of Bay Minette, Pine Grove, White House Fork and Crossroads Volunteer Fire Departments responded to assist. Everyone was safely evacuated from the building, and no injuries were reported.

It was determined the fire started in the kitchen area of the building, but authorities have yet to officially confirm what caused it, saying it is still under investigation. Regardless, Minchew told GCM the building is “a total loss.”

Overstreet told GCM he believes the fire was the result of one of the coolers shorting out and getting into the grease of his deep fryers. He said there were three deep fryers in the kitchen with each one containing around 15 gallons of oil.

Following the fire, locals from the community have showed support for Street’s, which has been a fixture in Bay Minette since opening in 1983. Other establishments in the area such as Saving Grace Kitchen in Bay Minette, owned by Overstreet's niece Crystal Whatley, and Stagecoach Cafe in Stockton, owned by Overstreet's sister Joyce, plan to employ as many Street's employees as possible. Saving Grace Kitchen will also start serving breakfast until Street's reopens, having previously only been open for lunch and dinner.

"Eugene is a pillar of this community and has helped so many over the years, including me!" Crystal Whatley said as part of a post on Saving Grace Kitchen's Facebook page. "I am asking you to please continue [to] pray for my Uncle Eugene, Leigh & the Streets family as they are facing many more difficult days ahead!"

Street's also brought their food truck to the site as a way to give employees an opportunity to work amid the aftermath.

“Street's Seafood Restaurant has been a major staple in our Bay Minette community, and we are praying for the Overstreet family and their employees during this difficult time," Bay Minette Mayor Joshua Brown said in a statement. "I have a special place in my heart for Street's because it was the last place I remember having dinner with my great-grandmother in the '90s."

A fundraiser was created on GoFundMe to help support the employees. With a goal of $12,000, over $10,000 has been raised as of Aug. 5.

“It’s unbelievable the support we have received,” Overstreet said. “It’s a wonderful thing, a wonderful feeling to have that kind of support. Over the years, you just don’t realize it, but man, everybody in the world is behind us.”

As for the future of Street’s, Overstreet said they are still figuring out their next steps, but he said what remains of the building will be torn down and that it will take a month or two before they decide what they are going to do next.

“I’ve been telling people we witnessed a miracle that everybody made it out,” said Leigh Overstreet Johnson, Eugene’s daughter. “No injuries, not even a little burn, no smoke inhalation. It was just amazing.”