Crews To Begin Rebuilding Broward Restaurant Gutted By Fire
DANIA BEACH (CBS4) - Construction crews will begin Monday to rebuild a popular restaurant destroyed by an overnight fire.
Tropical Acres Steakhouse, located at 2500 Griffin Road, has been shuttered since the blaze on August 29.
Fire official say a faulty piece of laundry equipment sparked the fire which destroyed the kitchen and caused extensive water damage to the dining room and banquet facilities. In total, more than 17,000 square feet were destroyed.
Weeks after the fire, the Tropical Acres' owners suffered another setback when they were targeted by thieves.
According to the Broward Sheriff's Office, the owners and employees that were trying to clean up the mess inside the building and stored some appliances behind the building of a covered patio.
That's when on October 3, an employee saw three men taking some items from the patio and called police, according to the BSO.
When BSO arrived they arrested Gary Favors, 21, and Neville Allen, 20. BSO detectives said they reviewed surveillance video and said they saw the two men along with two others on three separate dates removing appliances and loading them onto a truck.
The stolen items included: a utensil washer worth $22,000; a food warming cabinet worth more than $4,000; a water heater worth more than $5,500; a coffee machine worth $3,280; and a food warmer worth $3,350.
The family-owned restaurant is considered a South Florida landmark since opening it's doors in 1949.
