Decatur coffeehouse suffers major damage in fire

Image 1 of 5

Residents and customers were saddened to see the destruction to a downtown Decatur staple Monday morning after a devastating fire overnight.

Java Monkey has been a haven for coffee and music lovers for nearly two decades.  The shop is located across from the Decatur Square on Church Street.  

According to the City of Decatur Fire Department, they got a call about a structure fire at Java Monkey at 11:30 p.m. Sunday. 

"The fire got in the attic and traveled through," explained Decatur Fire Chief Toni Washington.  "Decatur Fire was able to get to the fire quickly and make a stop to reduce the damage to all the buildings."  

Java Monkey is located in the middle of a cluster of several other shops and restaurants.  Washington said all the businesses in the area were closed at the time of the fire and there were no injuries.  

"Due to a fire last night, Java monkey will be closed for at least a month," the shop posted on their Facebook page Monday morning.  "The fire department [is] trying to asses what/how it started.

Would like to thank the fire department of Decatur for their bravery and diligent work." 

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.