Fire destroys popular Kimberling City, Mo. restaurant

A fire destroyed Coyote's Dockside Café and Pub in Kimberling City Wednesday night. The fire started at about 10:30 p.m.

Fire crews fought the fire from the land and also from boats.

The restaurant is located in Port of Kimberling. The owner of the marina says the unique experience of boating up to the restaurant on the dock will be missed by many locals and tourists. However, they hope to rebuild.

"It was definitely good for the area. It generates sales tax for the community and creates jobs in the community. So, it'll create short-term challenges for us, and for a lot of different parties. We will rebuild and hopefully bring it back better than it was," Ryan Hamilton said.

The cause of the fire is unknown. Because the dock was so badly burned, fire officials say it's difficult to determine a cause. They said it could have been a lightning strike during the storm or a problem with the restaurant equipment or electricity.

"We are still looking into a cause. There were some storms that blew through about an hour before the report of the fire, so we are looking at that," Southern Stone County Fire Protection District Chief Keith Wolven said. "Of course, it's got a restaurant so it's got full utilities like a house does. So, there's always the possibility something went wrong there."

Firefighters say the business was closed when the fire started. Crews were able to protect nearby docks from the fire.