Historic Lighthouse Inn in Cedar Rapids destroyed by fire [Video]

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – Linn County Sheriff Brian Gardner tells KCRG-TV9 that the Lighthouse Inn Supper Club on Mt. Vernon Road SE was destroyed by a fire Wednesday morning.

According to a press release, the fire was first reported around 5:15 a.m. when a passerby noticed smoke and flames coming from the roof of the building.

When deputies arrived, they found flames spreading fast throughout the building. There were no people inside the Lighthouse Inn at the of the fire, and damage was limited to the restaurant.

The fire is out, but firefighters are still on scene. The fire is under investigation by the Linn County Sheriff’s Office.

Cedar Rapids Mayor Tiffany O’Donnell spoke to TV9 at the scene, describing it as a “devastating loss.”

“I think for all of us who have spent any amount of time inside the lighthouse, which for me personally, in my family, we …