If you've been to Destin more than once, chances are you've eaten at AJ's Seafood & Oyster Bar. Sadly, Thursday night saw the popular restaurant engulfed in flames.

Social media went wild Thursday night with photos and video of the fire which showed flames shooting from the restaurant's second floor. The Northwest Florida Daily News reported that after the fire started, around 20 people escaped uninjured.

A post on the restaurant's Facebook page says the fire "looked worse than it was" because a thatch roof over "Club Bimini" lit up in flames.

A message from AJ's management on their website read,

Our AJ's Family extend some very special thank yous to all the members of the Destin, Ft. Walton and Okaloosa Fire Department and First Responders, and to Chief Sasser who responded quickly and professional, making sure that no further damage could be done... then stayed late into the night extinguishing any chance of a second fire from unseen burning ambers. Even though the videos you will see seem to tell a different story, the floors, walls and equipment have escaped major fire damage and once dried out and cleaned up, we will begin the process of rebuilding the icon that was, and still is AJ’s. We will be doing an inspection of the facilities tomorrow but I feel confident that the downstairs restaurant will be able to open almost immediately.

The staff and owners of this famous establishment are in our thoughts and we'll keep our fingers crossed for a quick rebuilding!

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