Man has fond memories of Apache Junction restaurant that went up in flames Tuesday

APACHE JUNCTION, Ariz. (KSAZ) - On Tuesday, a part of Apache Junction history went up in flames, when fire tears through the Mining Camp Restaurant.

Besides serving family barbecue meals and dinner shows with musical entertainment, weddings and other events are also held at the restaurant, which was built in 1961. A lot of people said they're heartbroken, even as fire investigators are looking into what sparked the early-morning fire.

"It's heartbreaking," said Derek Vukusich, who married his wife at the place in February.

"My wife woke me up this morning and said, 'you gotta see the news. You gotta see what happened,'" said Vukusich. "Sure enough, the Mining Camp is gone. To think that we're one of the last few probably that were able to have that experience, it does make it special, more rare."

Vukusich hopes that the historic restaurant is able to rebuild so that one day he and many others can visit again

"That it's gone forever is really heartbreaking, and the fact that we won't be able to visit agian, for our anniversary, to bring our daughter there, it's a loss," said Vukusich.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.