'Suspicious' fire destroys popular Tonopah restaurant, arson investigation underway: MCSO

TONOPAH, Ariz. - The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office is investigating a "suspicious" fire that burned down a popular restaurant in Tonopah during the early-morning hours of May 17.

The fire broke out overnight at the Tin Top Bar & Grill, located near Wintersburg and Salome Highway.

Firefighters responding to the scene were met with smoke and flames that burned for hours.

Tonopah restaurant on fire for the 2nd time

On May 17, the Tin Top Bar and Grill caught on fire, in an incident officials now say was suspicious. What's left of the restaurant caught fire once again on May 18. FOX 10's Nicole Garcia reports.

"Leaking propane tanks posed an additional hazard for crews so a Hazmat teams was added to the assignment," said Chief Ashley Losch of the Arizona Fire and Medica Authority.

The fire was eventually extinguished.

One person was evaluated on the scene for difficulty with breathing, but that person was not taken to a hospital.

No firefighters were hurt.

"MCSO Arson Detectives are investigating this fire as suspicious," the sheriff's office said on May 18.

Later in the day on May 18, a fire flared up again at what's left of the restaurant.

Fire destroys popular Tonopah restaurant

A popular bar and grill in the west Valley was destroyed overnight by a massive fire, but thankfully, no one was hurt. FOX 10s Desiree Fluellen reports.

Customers react to Tin Top fire

A regular customer of the restaurant told FOX 10 the fire is a big loss to the community, saying the Tin Top Bar & Grill was one of the few restaurants in the area since several others have burned down over the years.

"Palo Verde, the plant's really gonna be missing the Tin Top a lot," the man said. "There's a lot of history in this place. A lot of memorabilia was lost in here."

The cause of the fire is unknown at this time.

"It is with a heavy heart that we are confirming that our beloved Tin Top Bar and Grill has burned down Tuesday evening," the restaurant wrote on its Facebook page. "Nobody was physically hurt. Thank you all for your kind words and support during this hard time."

Frank Cooper says the Tonopah community is going to miss visiting the restaurant.

"It’s sad. It’s definitely a loss. I hope they can rebuild, but it’s going to take a while," Cooper said.

He made sure to stop for a bite to eat at least once a month.

"I liked the French dip they had, good mushroom burgers, a little bit of everything," he said.

Bill Atkinson, also a frequent customer, says not only will he miss the food, but the atmosphere too.

"The food was fantastic there. I don’t know what the chef does, but he puts a twist on everything and everything is delicious in there," he said. "It was always busy, the whole parking lot would be wrapped in bikes and cars. Everybody’s pumped up in there. It was a good time."

Tin Top has been at the location for more than 30 years — they took pride in being an authentic western watering hole.

A GoFundMe account has been set up to help the victims of the fire.