Galveston's Di Bella's Restaurant Survives Ike, Gets Hit By Fire

Di Bella's, a cozy little Italian place (we guess we should call it a "joint") in Galveston, got hit by Ike but opened its doors a month or so after the storm.

So it really sucked that the place was knocked out by a big fire early Monday morning.

No one was injured seriously in the -- as they say in the news business -- "pre-dawn" blaze, but there was plenty of damage.

The second story was "almost completely lost, [but] the downstairs dining area appears to have suffered mainly water damage," the Galveston Chamber of Commerce said in a press release.

Owner Charles DiBella vowed to rebuild.

"We got all the photos and family pictures out," he told the Galveston County Daily News.

There's a recovery fund that's been set up through PayPal.

Floods, fires, hurricanes and still he rebuilds: this is one guy who loves being in the restaurant business in Galveston.

-- Richard Connelly