Fire damages McDougal's in Hillsboro Village

Fire ripped through McDougal's chicken joint Monday, ravaging the Hillsboro Village landmark during the lunch rush.

• The restaurant famous for its chicken tenders, wings and sauces became a local favorite soon after it opened in 2004.

Details: Firefighters deployed to the building at around 12:15pm. First responders saw smoke coming from the roof.

• No one reported injuries.

What they're saying: Owner Tommy McDougal told the Tennessean the building was a total loss. Plans for moving forward weren't immediately clear.

• "I'll process through this, grieve and try and figure out what happened and what's next," McDougal said. "Life will go on and we will figure this out."
• McDougal told the newspaper that he credited employees for their fast thinking during the blaze. He said a gas line burst during maintenance work on the line that controls one of the restaurant's fryers.

Zoom out: Employees will be relocated to the restaurant's 12th Avenue South location or to an upcoming Brentwood location, per WSMV.