The Zaxby's on Baytree Road in Remerton sustained severe damage following an early morning fire Tuesday.

An early morning fire damaged the historic Zaxby’s restaurant at 1211 Baytree Road Tuesday.

Remerton Fire Department firefighters, assisted by Lowndes County Fire Rescue and the Valdosta Fire Department, responded to the blaze at around 3 a.m. The cause of the fire was unknown at press time, but it reportedly started in the restaurant’s kitchen area, according to Remerton firefighters at the scene.

When firefighters arrived, flames could be seen coming from the rear of the building. The fire had to be extinguished using foam due to the fact that the building is made of fat lighter wood, which is very old pine wood that has a high concentration of flammable sap.

Water could not do the job, a source on the scene told The Times.

Calls made to Remerton Fire Department Chief Ron Woods in an attempt to learn more were not returned by press time. An investigation into the cause is ongoing.

Zaxby’s has been at the Baytree Road location since the early 1990s.

Before it was a restaurant, the building was home to overseers and management of the old Strickland Cotton Mill, which was incorporated in 1899. The mill closed in 1979. The surrounding village was named Remerton and was incorporated in 1951.