Fire destroys popular Lake Mille Lacs restaurant

Carlsona Beach Supper Club and Resort fire
Twisted chairs from the patio dining area and a shell of the club are all that remain of Carlsona Beach Supper Club and Resort after a fire at the popular dining area on the North Shore of Mille Lacs Lake in Garrison, Minn., Monday, April 26, 2010. Fire swept through the building early Monday morning destroying the lakeside club.
AP Photo/Brainerd Dispatch, Steve Kohls

A popular restaurant on Lake Mille Lacs burned to the ground on Monday, authorities said.

The fire at Carlsona Beach Supper Club in Garrison was reported early Monday morning. By the time authorities arrived, the structure was partially engulfed in flames and the fire was through the roof, the Aitkin County Sheriff said in a news release.

About 40 firefighters responded to the scene and stayed for more than four hours.

Twisted patio chairs and other rubble, the building's chimney and part of the structure were the only things left.

The Aitkin County Sheriff's Office, the Garrison Fire Department and the Minnesota State Fire Marshal are investigating the fire.

The Brainerd Dispatch reports that a second fire happened at another restaurant northwest of Mille Lacs on Monday. T.J.'s On the Cove on Serpent Lake in Deerwood was destroyed by a fire that started at about 12:30 p.m.