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Owners of Colon businesses ponder rebuilding

COLON, Mich. (NEWSCHANNEL 3) - The owner of Five Star Pizza, Carl Thornton has some decisions to make, the first is whether to rebuild out of what's left of his restaurant in downtown Colon, or find a new building.

"We'll be back one way or another, I'd like to be here in this building, in this location," says Thornton.

But a lot will depend on what building inspectors say about the wall that divides his restaurant from Papa Mancino’s Restaurant and Curly’s bar where the fire started Friday.

The inside of his restaurant has extensive smoke and water damage but he says the structure looks solid.

"If it's just that wall, I think it's a couple months, gut it out, clean it up and go...if the wall has to come down it's a different story," says Thornton.

A state fire inspector was back at the scene today, he’s still working on finding the exact cause.

"Indications are that most of the fire appears to be back in the kitchen area of Curly's Restaurant.  As of this point we have not been able to get into the kitchen because of the debris, that could take several days," says Sergeant Scott LeRoy with MSP’s Fire Investigation office.

Prudential Realtor Dave Persons office was on the other side of Mancino’s and Curly’s, he didn’t wait around and has already relocated across the street.

"Of course it's a shame to lose the buildings but the businesses will thrive somewhere I'm sure, it may not be in the exact location," says Persons.

The owner of Papa Mancino’s and Curly’s says he still doesn’t know if he will rebuild, he is meeting with his insurance company this week.