An early morning fire at Yampa Garage Biscuits & BBQ has owners Marlene and Craig Saleeby scrambling to reopen this summer, and Yampa customers have an appetite for Craig’s Southern biscuits and authentic barbecue, which are unfortunately currently on hold.

“We hope to be able to open in the first week of September,” Marlene said on Monday morning. “We are still waiting for the insurance to come through on both sides and for the cleanup work to be completed.”

The Saleebys rent the space. They said their landlord has her own insurance and they have business insurance. The fire caused smoke damage that will require replacing sheetrock and drywall and repainting.

“They’ve been doing some cleanup,” Marlene said. “Right now we’re in a holding pattern, waiting and hoping we can reopen before the season is over.”

The small fire broke out around 4 a.m. on July 27. Marlene said she believes it may have been caused by the rags the restaurant uses to mop up food residue and grease.

“We washed the rags, dried them and finally brought them to the restaurant, like we’ve been doing for years,” said Marlene. “Then they smoldered overnight and caught fire.”

Yampa and Oak Creek fire departments responded to the fire at 70 Moffat Avenue in Yampa, which Marlene said could have been even worse had the fire not melted the hoses supplying water to the kitchen.

“It didn’t necessarily need to be put out, but the smoke needed to be cleared from the area,” Marlene said. “When it caught fire, the fire itself melted some of our water pipes and that’s how it was put out.”

She said the irony is that she and Craig had just hosted a fundraiser for the Yampa and Oak Creek fire departments and they were the ones called to the fire.

Still, the closure was difficult for the Saleebys, as their livelihood depends on the money the restaurant brings in.

Marlene and Craig moved to Yampa a few years ago to be closer to their parents, who have lived in the area for 30 years. Craig is originally from North Carolina and brought with him his love of grilling and preparing good food.

The couple has been in the restaurant business for over 10 years and owned and operated a barbecue joint in Moab, Utah before coming to Yampa.

“The community has been so welcoming and supportive,” Marlene said. “They’re so happy to have us here, and we have people from Steamboat Springs, Eagle, even Kremmling – they come from all over.”

A GoFundMe page was set up by Mark Breit to raise funds for the Saleebys as they process insurance claims and plan to reopen their restaurant soon.

“We are in the process of reopening and have hired a professional cleaning company to help us with firefighting,” Yampa Garage Biscuits & BBQ posted on Facebook. “Thank you for your support, Yampa. We will be back and stronger.”