UPDATED: Fire again damages former Arsaga’s at the Depot building near Dickson Street in Fayetteville

Officials said the structure fire was an accident and spread after a person built a small warming fire.
(Flyer Photo/Todd Gill)

Another fire broke out at the former Arsaga’s at the Depot coffee shop and restaurant in downtown Fayetteville.

Firefighters were dispatched to the area at 9:18 p.m. Monday when they noticed heavy flames coming from the west side of the building at 548 W. Dickson St., according to Battalion Chief Jeremy Ashley, the city’s fire marshal.

Ashley said a crew was able to extinguish the fire before it did any significant damage to the interior of the structure. A majority of the damage was to the porch area around Frisco Trail.

The structure fire was ruled accidental, Ashley said, and was started after a person built a small fire on the porch to try and stay warm. Temperatures Monday night were in the upper 20s.

Ashley said the person was transported to Washington Regional Medical Center in stable condition with unknown injuries.

As of Tuesday morning, yellow fire line tape had been placed around the exterior of the building along the trail, and extensive damage was visible to the outside dining area.

It’s the second time a fire has damaged the building in five months. Firefighters were dispatched to the former restaurant on Oct. 12 of last year.

The restaurant has been empty since August 2021 when Arsaga’s closed the Depot location. The company still operates five locations in Fayetteville on School Avenue, Center Street, Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, the University of Arkansas campus and the Fayetteville Public Library.

The building sits immediately west of the construction site for a new municipal parking deck at the northwest corner of Dickson and West Avenue.

More photos

(Flyer Photo/Todd Gill)
(Flyer Photo/Todd Gill)
(Flyer Photo/Todd Gill)
(Flyer Photo/Todd Gill)