Fire damages bar near UNCW

Fire investigators say a fire in a trash caused a blaze this morning at a Wilmington bar. It happened at the Sandbar in University Landing Shopping Center on South College Road near UNCW around 7:30 a.m.

It took firefighters about fifteen minutes to put out the fire. Investigators say the fire was accidental and started in a trash can behind the bar. No one was hurt .

Because the Sandbar is in a strip mall, firefighters say a fire like this has the potential to be very dangerous.

“The attic is a common space with some fire breaks in there, and given the nature of the fire, it could have been a lot worse than it actually was,” Capt. Tim Smith of the Wilmington Fire Department said. “They made a quick knock-down.”

Investigators estimate the building suffered about $100,000 worth of damage plus another $75,000 worth of damage to stuff inside. There was also some fire damage at Wasabi Sushi next door.