JASPER, Ala. - Authorities are working to determine the cause of a Christmas Eve fire that destroyed a barbeque restaurant in Jasper.
WBRC-TV reports the Hickoryland Bar-B-Q restaurant was burned to the ground after 20 years of operation.
The restaurant's owner, Myra Watkins, has owned the business for eight years and says she's unsure of whether she'll reopen it.
Sam Murphy says he's part of a group of World War II veterans who have met at the restaurant each morning for coffee. Murphy says tables that included the names of the group's members who have passed away were also lost in the fire.
Murphy called the restaurant's loss a tragedy and is letting other group members know that their meeting place has been destroyed.