Cecil County community comes together to help employees of a beloved restaurant destroyed by fire

BALTIMORE - Jumbo Jimmy's Crab Shack, a community staple in Cecil County for 20 years, was destroyed by a two-alarm fire Sunday morning.

The beloved restaurant in Port Deposit caught fire around 10:30 a.m.

Since the devastation, there has been an overwhelming show of support by the community.  

Local bar and grill, "Our Place at the Bottom of the Hill," launched a fundraiser to help employees and their families through the holiday season.

"Everybody that worked here worked week-to-week," said Tony Seidel, who is spearheading the fundraiser. "This is the only job they had and we are going to do the best we can to help them in times of need."

The community fundraiser will kick off this week.

Employees of the restaurant told WJZ they smelled a gas leak before the fire. The fire reportedly spread from the kitchen area through the majority of the one-story building, and also damaged the former apartments connected to the restaurant. 

"Never expected any of this," said Assistant Manager Tina Steltz. "We thought if we can make it through the pandemic we can make it through anything."

The fire took 80 firefighters about two hours to put it out and caused more than $1 million in damages. 

Sophia Heverin, Jumbo Jimmy's manager, said she and more than 20 employees are now left without out a job during one of the toughest times of the year. 

"It's devastating, absolutely devastating," Heverin said. "It's heart-wrenching. Businesses can be replaced. I'm really thankful our employees are safe. I know jobs will be replaced but it's just not a good time in the year for people not to have a place to come to."

The restaurant had decades of memories for employees and customers. All that is shattered as flames engulfed the entire building.

"We stood over there as close as we could get and watched things," Tony Seidle said. "It was really horrible, but a lot of memories here."

Serving up Maryland favorites, this restaurant became a fixture in the community.

"This wasn't just a job, this was our life, not even as an employee here," Heverin said. "My parents were here, this is where we brought our family. This is where we hung out with friends."

No injuries were reported. The cause of the fire is under investigation and is now being handled by Maryland State Fire Marshals.