NORTH BEND, Wash. — A restaurant made famous in the quirky and macabre old "Twin Peaks" television series has met with a frightening disaster.
A tow truck driver reported smoke coming from the Mar-T Cafe about 3:15 a.m. Sunday. The fire was under control in about 45 minutes, and no other buildings were damaged, King County assistant fire marshal Tim Pillings said.
Investigators found a back window broken out. The rear third of the building was gutted, and the entire interior was extensively damaged by smoke. Damage was estimated at about $250,000.
Kyle Twede said someone broke in, stole about $450 and torched his business. A reward is being offered for information leading to capture of whoever was responsible.
"I have no idea who would burn my restaurant down," Twede said. "Take my money, that's one thing, but burning down the restaurant affects a lot of people. Why would someone do that?"
Filmed in the North Bend-Snoqualmie area, a 30-mile drive east of Seattle, "Twin Peaks" won a dedicated cult following during its two-year run. In the series, the Mar-T Cafe stood in for the Double-R Diner.
Twede hopes to be back in business before the third annual Twin Peaks Festival in August, which includes a coffee-and-pie stop at the cafe.