A fire that caused $750,000 in damage to an iconic Dewey Beach restaurant undergoing renovation has been deemed arson.
The evening of April 23 a blaze caused significant damage to the Lighthouse Restaurant at 124 Dickinson Street. The Lighthouse complex – long known as the host of the summer ritual “Taco Toss” – is in the midst of a major, multi-year redevelopment that includes the upscale Residences at Lighthouse Cove, a Hyatt Place hotel and the new Lighthouse restaurant that was slated to open for this summer.
See: Major Fire Damages Iconic Dewey Beach Restaurant
The Delaware Fire Marshal’s office has determined that the destructive fire was intentionally set. The complex’s owners, Lighthouse Cove Development Company, are offering a reward of $10,000 to anyone who can provide information leading to an arrest and conviction of the person(s) responsible.
“The entire Lighthouse Cove family has been devastated by this senseless fire that destroyed the Lighthouse Restaurant – one of the final components of the wider Lighthouse Cove redevelopment project. The damage caused by this act also extends well beyond our property and into our community, as area residents will be impacted by the loss of vital jobs the restaurant would have provided,” said E. Thomas Harvey III, President of Lighthouse Cove Development Company.
Anyone with information on the fire is asked to contact the Delaware Fire Marshal at (302) 856-5600; Delaware Crime Stoppers’ anonymous tip line at (800) TIP-3333; or Harvey, Hanna & Associates at (302) 323-9300 Ext. 112.
