Iconic Restaurant Burns Down

***UPDATE 6:20 P.M.***Investigators spent today trying to figure out what caused the destruction of a popular Missouri restaurant. Firefighters tell us along with the Pear Tree Restaurant burning down, the Black Diamond Museum also burned up. They believe the restaurant caught fire at about 12:30 a.m.Firefighters spent most of the day putting out the fire and controlling the hot spots that continued to flare-up. Investigators haven’t found the cause or where the fire started.By the time firefighters got to the scene, flames were overtaking the building. They tried to salvage all they could, but before they knew it the fire already spread to the neighboring building.”Fire broke through the structure on the outside on the street side, we went in to put it out and got it knocked down and noticed that the main part of the restaurant was totally involved inside,” Bevier Fire Protection District Chief David Coleman said.Firefighters say they tried to save the museum, but the flames spread to the roof and ultimately destroyed it. They were only able to salvage a few things from the museum, but almost everything was lost in the restaurant.”It meant a lot to Bevier, I think a lot of people ate there and provided a lot of jobs for a lot,” Bevier resident Devin Partin said.For more than 25 years, the restaurant was a popular place for many parties and was a draw to people that live hours away.”We lost a wonderful restaurant and we lost a wonderful museum,” Coleman said. “Both buildings were very old. It was a big part of the town for a hundred years.”Firefighters tell ABC 17 News they’re worried about the remaining structure falling down if a gust of wind comes up. They say they’re planning on tearing down the remaining walls.The State Fire Marshal’s office also had investigators looking into the cause of the fire.***UPDATE 9:35 A.M.***Sheriff’s deputies confirm The Pear Tree restaurant was destroyed and other nearby businesses also suffered fire damage.According to our affiliate in Kirksville, fire crews from Bevier, Callao and rural Macon County battled the blaze.The cause of the fire is still under investigation. ***ORIGINAL STORY***Early Thursday morning firefighters were on scene of a restaurant fire in Macon County.The Sheriff’s office confirmed the fire was at the Pear Tree Restaurant in Bevier.Bevier is west of Macon and just south of Highway 36.No word on how much damage was done.