Business continues in The Alley after fire at The Griffin

Takosushi escaped the fire Tuesday morning at The Griffin relatively unscathed.

Manager Otis Benton said that other than minor smoke damage, the popular restaurant in The Alley was untouched. Business is as usual at Takosushi, while next door The Griffin's interior is charred from the fire that was reported to have originated from several appliances found plugged in behind the refrigerator in the kitchen, according to a report from Aiken Public Safety.

Nobody was injured in the fire.

The lights were off at The Griffin on Thursday, all tables and chairs cleared from the space and the smell of smoke still hung heavy near its front door.

Benton said a crew had been in Takosushi to clean up and that both the front and rear doors of the restaurant are kept open to vent any remaining smoke smell.

The fire at The Griffin was discovered shortly after 5:30 a.m. Tuesday by an Aiken County Sheriff's Office deputy on patrol in the area. The fire crew forced open the front door, found the kitchen area and extinguished the fire.

The fire report stated that there was an approximate $225,000 loss value - $200,000 in property and $25,000 of contents.

Three adjacent businesses - Galley J Salon, the Aiken Downtown Development Association and Morgan Stanley/Smith Brown, all located in The Alley - sustained minor smoke damage from the unintentional fire, and firefighters used a positive pressure fan to clear smoke from the buildings, according to the report.

The Aiken Downtown Development Association has temporarily relocated to a vacant space on the other side of Takosushi, near Bee Lane.

Christopher Griffin, owner of the Aiken pub formerly known as Tipsey McStumbles, filed in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Georgia, claiming total assets of about $82,000 and liabilities of almost $138,000, according to court documents.