Video: Arsonist sets fire to patio at Shoal Creek Saloon, business still open

Austin, Texas – The Shoal Creek Saloon is renovating its patio after a fire that the Austin Fire Department says was arson. The incident happened on Tuesday morning.

Shoal Creek Saloon owner Ray Canfield emphasizes that the business is still open – fortunately, the fire did not affect the inside of the building. The patio is expected to open in a few days.

Surveillance video shows someone walking around the patio, then something lights up in the corner. The person leaves, and the flame becomes larger and begins to spread.

“It’s really sad. This is a beautiful place. We have invested a lot of time and money into it,” Canfield said. “Your brain goes crazy trying to figure out what the motive might be.”

The cleaning crew has cleaned the patio and Canfield says they still need to fix the wiring and install curtains to keep the patio warm.

“If you come until we fix everything, you need to put on a jacket,” he said.

Located right on Shoal Creek, the salon has experienced flooding several times over the past three decades. The last major one was in 2015.

“I’m really ready for the flood,” Canfield said. “When I see it’s going to be very heavy rain, I tune in to the game, getting ready to face him if something happens.”

He says they even have a flood response plan.

“We’re coming back very quickly because it’s important, we don’t want to lose momentum,” he said.

While fire is a different type of disaster, Canfield says they are no less resilient.

“I don’t think there is anyone better than us in coming back from a big disaster and we are going to prove it once again here,” he said.

He even says they won an Emmy for emergency preparedness public service announcements.