Fire at Tim Love's Lonesome Dove Destroys Kitchen

An early morning kitchen fire has temporarily shuttered chef Tim Love's Fort Worth restaurant the Lonesome Dove. CBS DFW reports that firefighters arrived shortly after 6am to find "intense flames and heavy smoke" at the restaurant. They were able to calm the fire after about 20 minutes. Preliminary investigations have determined that the fire began in the kitchen. Fortunately, the building was empty and no injuries have been reported.

According to reports, the fire destroyed the kitchen and caused extensive smoke damage the dining room, including melting the lights. The cause of the fire is still unknown, though Love tells NBC in the video below that there may have been a problem with one of the air conditioners in the restaurant, but that it's still unclear what happened.

An emotional Love also says that he learned about the fire when NBC called him to ask for more information, and he calls the fire "horrific." Love tells Fox 4: "You don't ever imagine your business going up in flames so my wife and I are just getting together to work harder and put it back together, it's all you can do." He tweeted: "Thanks for the outpouring of support. @lonesomedovefw caught fire early this morning. Everyone is safe. We will reopen stronger!" Love told Fox that he hopes to reopen in about 30 days. Below, two interviews with chef Tim Love:

UPDATE: A spokesperson for Tim Love says that it now appears the fire started outside of the restaurant near the back entrance.

Video: Lonesome Dove Restaurant Damaged in Fire

Video: Fort Worth's Lonesome Dove catches fire

Dallas News | myFOXdfw.com

· Fire Damages Fort Worth Stockyards Restaurant [CBS FDW]
· Fort Worth's Lonesome Dove catches fire [Fox 4]
· All Lonesome Dove Coverage on Eater [-E-]
· All Tim Love Coverage on Eater [-E-]