Origin of fire at burger restaurant still unclear

A spokesman for the Pulaski County sheriff’s office said nothing has been ruled out as part of the ongoing investigation into a fire that destroyed Scott landmark Cotham’s Mercantile earlier this week.

“We are investigating it, trying to determine the source and origin of the fire,” Lt. Cody Burk, sheriff’s office spokesman, said Thursday.

Firefighters were called to the restaurant at 5301 Arkansas 161 South in Scott around 11:30 p.m. Monday and found the building, which was constructed on stilts near the bank of Horseshoe Lake, engulfed in flames from end to end with the roof collapsed, according to Scott Fire Chief Ron Myers.

Myers said Thursday that a woman had called the volunteer department and told authorities that she saw a man on the porch of the restaurant well after closing time on the night of the fire.

The woman said the man looked “suspicious” and decided to share the information when she heard the restaurant had burned down overnight, Myers said.

Myers said that at first he suspected the fire began in the kitchen, but witnesses said flames started at the front of the building.

Because Scott’s firefighters are part of a volunteer department, the case was transferred to the Pulaski County sheriff’s office for further investigation, Myers said.

Cotham’s opened in 1917 as a general store and catered to the many farmers near the border of Pulaski and Lonoke counties.

Eventually it became known for its huge “hubcap” burgers and as a popular spot among politicos.

It was a favorite spot for former President Bill Clinton and former U.S. Sens. Dale Bumpers and David Pryor, and was featured on several popular television shows, including Man vs. Food on the Travel Channel.