Early Sunday morning, a fire ripped through Sunny Jim's restaurant, a local landmark on Camp Horne Road in Kilbuck. While there were no injuries, the building was heavily damaged.

By Monday afternoon, Jim Oliver, a co-owner who lived in an apartment above the restaurant, had already received more than 50 phone calls from people who wanted to help.

Neighbors offered Mr. Oliver a place to stay, bar owners from around the area offered their support, and patrons called to promise they would return as soon as Sunny Jim's reopened.

"This is a neighborhood bar; I have so many good people around me," said Mr. Oliver, who has co-owned Sunny Jim's since it opened in 1977. "Every 10 minutes it seems like someone is stopping by to help us out."

Although the building was left standing, all three levels, including the upstairs apartment, sustained extensive interior damage. The restaurant is expected to be closed for months.

Mr. Oliver and co-owner Mike Stachel worked through a steamy Monday afternoon clearing debris, along with about 10 volunteers. More than a dozen workers from a restoration company retrieved glasses and lamps and piled them under two white tents propped up in the parking lot.

"This really hasn't sunk in yet," Mr. Oliver said.

Sunny Jim's sits on a tree-lined portion of Camp Horne Road about a mile from the Avonworth pool. It had been damaged in the 2004 floods in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, but was able to return to full operation in a matter of days.

This time it was much worse.

A refrigerator's compressor started the blaze at 5:45 a.m. Sunday, Mr. Oliver said.

He was not at home in the upstairs apartment when the fire started. Mr. Stachel, who lives in West View and opens the restaurant each morning, arrived in time to save Mr. Oliver's dog.

"This is bad," Mr. Oliver said of the fire damage. "It's going to be a long process."

But Mr. Oliver and Mr. Stachel vow to reopen the bar, which is a popular venue for neighborhood families, especially during Steelers and Penguins games.

"We'll get it back," Mr. Oliver said.

"We did it after the flood," Mr. Stachel said. "We can do it now."

At this point, the extent of the damage is not clear because the owners' insurance company has not finished its inspection. Mr. Oliver said the restaurant was covered for fire damage, and that his insurance agent was able to "put him at ease" after the fire.

Mr. Oliver said it was "way too early" to set a date on when Sunny Jim's would reopen. For now, most of the restaurant's windows are boarded up.

One open storage room at the back of the building was badly burned. Mr. Oliver has left his upstairs apartment and moved in with a friend.

Sunny Jim's can hold up to 200 people. It has a patio and a projection screen. Mr. Oliver said the bar was most popular during sports games, and for its wing nights, when many families would come.

The building's market value is $322,900, according to county assessment records.

Mr. Stachel said this is the most serious problem the owners have faced since opening the business 31 years ago. He also was quick to mention the support he's received.

"A lot of people have expressed grief and sorrow," Mr. Stachel said.

Gary Cirlingione, of Sewickley Heights, a cook at Sunny Jim's, was there Monday to help with the cleanup. He said he was "shocked and disappointed" when he heard about the fire.

He also said the community has rallied to help rebuild a "nice family, local bar."

"It seems like everyone is coming together," he said.