Overnight 3 alarm fire destroys Caribbean restaurant and lounge in Arlington

The owners of One Love Lounge, a Caribbean restaurant in Arlington, said they will rebuild after an overnight fire destroyed the business.

The Arlington Fire Department said that on Tuesday around 3:00 a.m., firefighters responded to a call that turned into a three-alarm fire and the need for more assistance. Crews reported they could see flames shooting out of the building located at 2300 S. Cooper St.

“At the time, they were able to attempt an interior attack and try to save the structure, but conditions changed pretty quickly, and they ended up having to go defensive," said Lt. Adam Evans, a spokesperson for the Arlington Fire Department. "The building did end up being a total loss, so we do have the city using one of our Gradalls to knock it down to keep the environment and our citizens safe."

Crews tore down the remainder of the building, which was hard for the owners to see.

"It's a family legacy; like I said, we've been going strong coming up to 9 years, so it is devastating right now just to see what’s happening behind me," said Mike Kiss, the son's owner.

Kiss's family is of Guyanese descent. They lived in Brooklyn, New York, but his father, Billy, migrated to Texas around 20 years ago. About 10 years ago, he opened the restaurant.

"He's built this place from the ground up. The reputation before here wasn’t good, so he completely made a 180 from a negative spot to a family-oriented spot bringing Caribbean food, culture, and music and live entertainment," said Kiss, who is also a disc jockey and DJ.

The building held many memories for Kiss and his family.

“My son graduated pre-k, and I said, 'Where do you want to go?' He said, 'I want to go by grandpas and have chicken curry and roti,' I thought he was going to say Red Lobster or a steak house but no, came to One Love Lounge,” reflected Kiss on how much the business means to the family.

They've hosted numerous artists who performed Reggae and Soca at the lounge and restaurant.

"A lot of memories here, a lot of memories, but we’ll be back," said Mix as he looked out onto the debris pile of what was once their business.

One Love Lounge is named after the famous Bob Marley song.

“It started with the culture of sound system in Brooklyn with my dad, he had One Love Sound, which is based on Jamaican sound system culture. From Brooklyn migrated to Texas, brought that with him and he decided to invest in a restaurant and lounge and just kept the name going," explained Kiss. "It's deeply apart of our roots and family history."

“It’s standard to play Bob Marley's 'One Love' here almost every night at every event, and it just goes by that simple lyric, 'Let’s get together and feel alright.' Like I said, my dad only promoted good vibes only," said Kiss.

He said they're trying to figure out what's next right now. Fortunately, no one was injured, and no one was inside the building at the time of the fire since the lounge and restaurant were closed.

“It could have been worse. It could have been a lot worse," said Kiss, whose father had closed up hours before.

Despite the pile of rubble, Kiss looked out at the damage and found a silver lining. An entire piece of the custom-painted hallway was still intact.

“This was our permanent backdrop for people to take pictures," said Kiss of the tropical painting with a palm tree, depicting blue skies and the restaurant's name 'One Love Lounge.'

"That's our old logo, we did a rebranding two years ago, it has a nice quote over there, of a very good supporter of us, who is unfortunately no longer with us, Sam," expressed Kiss about the quote that stated "Give thanks for life."

They're thankful no one was hurt and plan to rebuild once fire officials determine the cause of the fire.

"As my dad always says, 'Good vibes only,' so we just look forward to keeping that strong spirit and helping us move forward in this process," said Kiss.