Drayage Brokersin Virginia Beach, VA

The Virginia Beach Fire Department worked late into the night to put out the fire on Atlantic Avenue.

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Editor's note: The story has been updated with clarification on the investigation into the fire, saying the location of where the fire started is unclear.

A three-alarm fire at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront Tuesday evening left several businesses destroyed and required a response of more than 75 firefighters.

The Virginia Beach Fire Department worked late into the night to put out the fire on Atlantic Avenue. It was deemed out around 10:45 p.m., but firefighters continued to search for hotspots into Wednesday morning.

READ MORE: Virginia Beach restaurant owner loses 'American dream' after losing business in Oceanfront fire

It's unknown what caused the fire at this time, but fire officials say they've ruled out arson. Here's a look at what 13News Now has gathered about the fire so far:

Several Oceanfront businesses were destroyed, 1 firefighter was hurt

The fire badly damaged the T-Shirt Factory, the Maple Tree Pancake & Waffle House, King of the Sea Restaurant, and Lyfestyle Meals. All occupants were accounted for and safe, but the severity of the damage is hitting businesses hard.

READ MORE: Oceanfront businesses grapple with loss after massive Virginia Beach fire

One firefighter was taken to the hospital because of a burn injury.

Virginia Beach fire response took several hours

A spokesperson for the Virginia Beach Fire Department said that firefighters started battling the blaze at around 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at the T-Shirt Factory.

In a clarification Thursday, fire officials said the location of where the fire started is unclear. Deputy Fire Marshall Jim Ingledue said while his team saw smoke coming from the T-Shirt Factory, the exact place where it started is unknown.

Shortly before 6:40 p.m., as the fire spread to neighboring businesses, the response was upgraded to a three-alarm.

READ MORE: Community shocked after businesses destroyed by fire

Virginia Beach Fire Chief Ken Pravetz said this fire has been difficult to fight because of all the "void spaces."

After the fire was deemed out, firefighters were fighting outbreaks, using backhoes to pull the rubble and debris apart so they could get to hot spots throughout the night.

Firefighters finally began clearing out at around 5:20 a.m. Wednesday, but crews remain to put out potential hotspots.

The owners of the T-Shirt Factory told 13News Now they do not believe the fire originated at their store.

Building's age complicated efforts to put out fire

Capt. Jim Ingledue, the Virginia Beach deputy fire marshal, said the building where the fire happened is more than 60 years old and the structure made it challenging to battle the blaze.

Because owners renovated the businesses several times over the years, it has several ceilings from the add-ons to the structure, according to Ingledue.

This created layers for fire crews to have to demolish in order to get to the heart of the fire. Firefighters couldn't work directly on top of the roof because of the danger of collapsing.

"We say all the time, 'we're chasing this fire' because it's spreading but you can't really tell where it's going, because you can't really see where it's going," Ingledue said. "It's a very difficult type of fire to fight and the firefighters worked really hard."

Ingledue added that the Virginia Beach Fire Department has a lot of work to do to investigate what happened.

Large fire breaks out at Oceanfront business

The Virginia Beach Fire Department worked late into the night to put out the fire, which started at the T-Shirt Factory on Atlantic Avenue.

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Less than a day after a massive fire at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront destroyed several businesses, people in the community are taken back by what happened.

The Virginia Beach Fire Department worked late into the night to put out the fire, on Atlantic Avenue. It was out by 10:45 p.m. Tuesday, but firefighters are continuing to search for hotspots Wednesday.

READ MORE: What we know about the massive Virginia Beach Oceanfront fire

It's unknown what caused the fire at this time.

On Wednesday morning, crews with Virginia Beach Fire Department were still putting out hotspots.

Mark Crane, a Virginia Beach resident who lives across the street from the burnt-down building, said it was hard to see outside.

“Around 9 o'clock, you couldn’t stand outside," Crane told 13News Now. "It was smokey [and] went right into your clothes. You couldn’t be outside, You just couldn’t."

“On the day before yesterday, people were super friendly in the store [T-Shirt Factory]. Same thing with the restaurant, we just ate there [King of the Sea] Monday night,” Frank Simmons, who was on vacation for his third time to Virginia Beach this summer, said.

"Now to see it gone, just mind-blowing,” he added.

Marcus Jordan isn’t sure what he’ll do next, after working his way up from dishwasher to cook at the Maple Tree Pancake House, a place he’s worked for almost 40 years.

"You just got to be positive, everything will work out,” Jordan said, seeing his place of work burnt down for the first time Wednesday morning.

“As long as everybody is safe,” he added.

Property owner surveys damage, empathetic toward his longtime tenants

John Vakos Sr., the property owner, spent time Wednesday surveying the damage and trying to turn the water off to the building, as he figures out his next moves.

His father built the property more than 60 years ago.

READ MORE: Businesses damaged in Virginia Beach Oceanfront fire grapple with loss

“Everything has a life including buildings," Vakos told 13News Now.

He also owns the building right behind the destruction, which houses Lyfestyle Meals along with four apartments upstairs. He moved the people living there to a nearby hotel overnight, but only one unit appears to have significant damage.

He said his heart goes out to his longtime tenants who lost their businesses in the fire.

“I feel sorry for some of the people who lost their future income," Vakos said. "It’s like you have a restaurant and you work there for a huge number of years. You try to sell it when you retire, but you have nothing to sell.”

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Crews with the Virginia Beach Fire Department continued working late into the night trying to contain, then dealing with the aftermath of a massive, stubborn fire at the Oceanfront on Tuesday afternoon that resulted in the fire department issuing three alarms.

A spokesperson for the fire department said that firefighters started battling the blaze at around 5:30 p.m. on Atlantic Avenue. That's near the Holiday Inn Express and Hyatt House at the Oceanfront.

RELATED: What we know about the massive Virginia Beach Oceanfront fire

Shortly before 6:40 p.m., as the fire spread to neighboring businesses, the response was upgraded to a three-alarm.

Virginia Beach Fire Chief Ken Pravetz said this fire has been difficult to fight because of all the "void spaces."

"There’s multi-layer roofs in there. There’s parapin walls. There’s a roof that’s below another roof line so the fire is in a lot of hidden spots," he said. "Basically we’re chasing it around."

Pacific Avenue and Atlantic Avenue were closed from 25th to 28th Street. People were asked to avoid the area.

Community recalls building smoke at Oceanfront

Heather Traver lives in the apartment complex adjacent to the fire, and says she immediately got her kids and went outside.

"That’s my building so hopefully all is good," she said, "but I’m so sorry for the businesses. It’s completely lost I’m sure."

William Adams of Poquoson recounted what he saw.

"We were at a big [dinner] table. We look out, and there's a burst of smoke. It's everywhere, we just see it and we were confused," said Adams.

Bird’s eye view of the firefighters still working to knock this fire down @13NewsNow pic.twitter.com/suK7pmUJw5

— Sarah Hammond (@SarahHammondTV) July 11, 2023

Michael Billing of Michigan recalled his family's experience.

"We walked down the stairs and we smelled it immediately. It's strong, very strong. my wife was actually coughing because she felt how bad it was," said Billing.

Kristin Miller of Pennsylvania told 13News Now about the hazy view from her room at Holiday Inn Express.

"Can't see stop anything past the smoke up there. It had kind of calmed down for a few minutes, but all of a sudden the smoke started to billow again," Miller said.

The heavy emergency response blocked in some parked cars, too.

Still, families were willing to adjust or wait things out.

"Trying to enjoy our vacation, but again, our hearts and thoughts go out to the families and the business owners absolutely," Miller added.

Virginia Beach fire response continued late into the night

The major fire was reported as out at 10:45 p.m. More than 75 firefighters responded to the fire.

Firefighters were fighting outbreaks, using backhoes to pull the rubble and debris apart so they could get to hot spots throughout the night. There were still about 60 firefighters working hard to get this fire out.

No civilians were injured. One firefighter was taken to the hospital because of a burn injury.

As of reporter updates, firefighters finally began clearing out at around 5:20 a.m. but crews remain to put out potential hotspots. The aftermath of the fire shows businesses badly damaged and some completely burnt to the ground.

The fire badly damaged the T-Shirt Factory, the Maple Tree Pancake & Waffle House, King of the Sea Restaurant, and Lyfestyle Meals. All occupants of the businesses were accounted for and safe.

It's unknown what caused the fire at this time.

The fireworks caused excessive damage to several boats that were docked in the harbor, according to fire officials.

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — The Virginia Beach Fire Department is investigating an illegal fireworks display that happened at Rudee Inlet on Monday.

The fireworks went off in the area at around 10:30 p.m. and caused excessive damage to several boats that were docked in the harbor, according to fire officials. The department shared a video of the display.

"The fireworks display was not sanctioned or granted a permit by the City of Virginia Beach nor the Virginia Beach Fire Prevention Bureau," the fire department wrote in a news release.

Fireworks are illegal across Virginia. There are exceptions, like for professionals who go through an approval process.

In this case at Rudee Inlet, fire investigator Steven Huey told 13News Now the fireworks appeared high-end; however, the person or persons who set them off would never have received permission even if they applied.

"A professional fireworks person would have never chosen that spot and never would have fired under those conditions," said Huey.

Huey described winds at roughly nine miles per house coming out of the south or southwest at the time.

"[That] pushed most of the debris from the fireworks right over the marina, did various amounts of damage to about 30 different boats," said Huey.

Reports of damage are coming from people who dock at the marina attached to Rudee's Restaurant and Cabana Bar, according to Huey. Their concerns range from burn marks to damaged coatings and coverings.

"Not to mention, there's a fuel pump there at the marina that also had various chunks of fireworks laying all over it as well," said Huey. "If you get a burning ember to land in the wrong spot, you may have a disaster on your hands. It is not the most likely scenario to happen, but it is certainly a possibility."

13News Now also asked Huey why this particular act is under such a microscope compared to other reports of illegal fireworks displays.

"I've gotten far more phone calls about this one than I did any other. In fact, I don't know if I'd received any complaints of damage to any extent, let alone the amount of damage received at the marina," he said.

And he added that whoever is held responsible faces a $2,500 fine and one year in jail.

To further put this case into perspective, even pinwheels and sparklers are prohibited in Virginia Beach.

Anyone with information about the display or anyone that was involved is asked to reach out to the Fire Prevention Bureau by calling 757-385-4228 or emailing them.

People can also leave an anonymous tip by calling 1-888-562-5887 or online using P3 Tips.

By Gabby Jimenez | gabrielle.jimenez@virginiamedia.com | Staff writer

Developer Gale Higgs, known for building The Marina at Marina Shores at Lynnhaven Inlet with her late husband more than 30 years ago, has had a variety of projects since then, including operating the Kane Marie Fine Arts Gallery, which closed in 2008.

The Virginia Beach native now has her eyes set on a new industry: luxury jewelry.

“I looked around and said, ‘All right, well, I’m not going to build for the next few years, what am I going to do?’ ” Higgs said. “And I thought about how much joy there was in that gallery, working with artists and clients and enjoying the works of art created by nature and man, which is really what fine art jewelry is.”

G Marie Luxuries, at 2861 Lynnhaven Drive not far from the renovated marina, is a jewelry store showcasing unique and often one-of-a-kind pieces. Higgs started thinking seriously about creating the store two years ago. After a series of opening setbacks due to supply issues, it finally debuted in June.

The store is decorated with furniture from Paris, chandeliers from the 1950s and a carpet created from reclaimed fishing net with a satellite image of the ocean floor from space — personal touches all chosen by Higgs.

Just like the furniture, the jewelry is carefully selected by Higgs and comes from around the world.

Whether it’s a bracelet designed by a jeweler in a small village off the Alaskan coast or a necklace created with materials found on the beaches of Costa Rica, Higgs said the beauty of a piece of luxury jewelry is not just about cost or value. Prices online range from a few hundred dollars to tens of thousands.

“I know people who, unless it’s a precious stone, emerald, ruby, diamond, sapphire, don’t consider it luxury, while other people consider handmade wood art from Japan that you wear on your wrist an incredible luxury,” she said.

Higgs, who has been going to jewelry shows for decades, said the beauty of jewelry is its ability to bring someone confidence.

“When women wear jewelry, it empowers them. It enhances them. It enables them to see themselves in a more beautiful light. You put on a piece of jewelry, it’s like ‘there I am,’ or you remember who gave it to you, or the moment they gave it to you,” she said.

While the store focuses on jewelry, it also has art pieces for sale. Products are also available online.

“We are new. We are different,” Higgs said. “When you come in, you’re going to find things you haven’t seen before.”

For more information, visit gmarie.com.

Gabby Jimenez, gabrielle.jimenez@virginiamedia.com