$22,000+ raised for beloved Blowing Rock restaurant destroyed by fire

BLOWING ROCK, N.C. (WBTV) - A fundraiser has raised tens of thousands of dollars for a beloved restaurant that was destroyed in a massive fire on Sunday in Watauga County.

A Jan. 25 fire that started in the basement of Bistro Roca in Blowing Rock devastated the more than 100-year-old building.

Nobody was hurt in the blaze; however, Bistro Roca said in a Facebook post that the restaurant was “lost.”

In the hours after the fire, a GoFundMe was set up to help support the restaurant employees.

Within about 24 hours of the fundraiser’s creation, over $22,000 had already been raised and more than 150 people had donated.

The Blowing Rock Chamber of Commerce also set up a fundraiser, although it was unclear how much money it had raised.

When the fire was burning on Sunday morning, the town of Blowing Rock called the situation “very sad” and described Bistro Roca as a “staple” in the community.

In its Facebook post, Bistro Roca vowed to come back.

“We will rebuild, whatever that might look like,” the restaurant wrote. “This community has sustained us for so many years, and we fully believe will help in rebuilding our future.”

Officials have not yet publicly said how the fire started.

Below are some pictures of the blaze, courtesy of the town of Blowing Rock.

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