VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Officials are investigating an arson that happened at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront over the weekend.
Surveillance footage shown to 13News Now shows a fire lit outside Mason’s Famous Lobster Rolls Sunday morning on Atlantic Avenue.
Firefighters quickly put out the flames and no one was hurt. Cell phone video circulating on social media shows three people running away from an active fire outside of the patio at the restaurant.
The restaurant's owner said he’s seen the video and told 13News Now he doesn’t want people to think those individuals seen in that video are responsible for that fire.
He showed 13News Now the restaurant’s surveillance video to clear up this confusion. It shows someone lighting the patio table on fire after midnight and early Sunday morning and walking away as the flames grow.
"The furniture is fully engulfed and could have risked burning our restaurant or our neighbor the resort, Turtle Cay," said Craig Leonard, CEO of Boston Lobsta, Inc., who oversees the two Mason's Famous branches along with his sons.
A group of passing pedestrians extinguished the first fire using their shoes. Minutes later, the person who owners believe lit the original fire came back and lit the table on fire again.
The Virginia Beach Fire Department said it is being investigated as arson and isn’t believed to be accidental.
The moment captured on cell phone video, now circulating social media, was picked up by the same security camera that captured the fire. It shows the moment in real-time, showing the trio of pedestrians running away after they stopped to take pictures of the fire.
The owners told 13News Now they’re thankful for the group of pedestrians who put out the initial fire with their shoes before firefighters responded, saying it may have stopped the fire from spreading to the rest of the business.
"They are heroes," writes Leonard, who is hoping to find them and thank them.