An early morning fire Tuesday caused extensive damage to the Galley Restaurant on the Menemsha harbor, forcing the popular ice cream and sandwich shop to close for the remainder of the season.

Barbara Fenner, who owns the shop with her brother Frank Fenner and his wife Merrily, said yesterday the restaurant will reopen as usual next spring. But that offers little comfort for the hordes of young children and other regulars who flock to the restaurant for a burger or a cone.

"Some people have described this fire as some sort of natural disaster - that's how much this place means to them," Ms. Fenner said humbly.

Ms. Fenner was busy yesterday along with a work crew and several other volunteers cleaning out the charred innards of the two-story restaurant nestled among the fish shacks of picturesque Menemsha. Most of the damage was confined to the second floor, although the first floor sustained heavy water damage in the blaze.

As she reflected on the damages, Ms. Fenner struggled to pry open a cash register badly charred in the fire. The massive heat had turned the register into a gnarled ball of metal, and as she shook it several scorched coins fell to the ground. "It's been a rough couple of days, it's been tough on all of us," she lamented, "but everyone has been very supportive."

As if on cue, a woman who was either an old friend or a regular customer or both appeared and offered her condolences. The woman demanded a hug and when Ms. Fenner resisted, citing the charcoal and soot on her clothing and rubber gloves, the woman insisted.

"We're so sorry about this," the woman said as she embraced Ms. Fenner. "But you're going to be back bigger and better than ever."

Ms. Fenner later agreed with the sentiment after the woman left, and in a matter-of-fact style explained the owners will do whatever it takes to get the building back on line for next season. "If we have to rebuild, we will rebuild. There is nothing that can't be fixed," she said.

Chilmark fire chief David Norton said the fire started on the second floor, most likely around 2 a.m. Firefighters received the call around 3:30 a.m. which proved to be fortuitous timing. Many of the firefighters were returning from an earlier fire at the Carlin House on East Lane where a kitchen cabinet over a propane stove caught fire.

That call came in around 2 a.m., Mr. Norton said, and many of the firefighters were returning gear to the fire station when the call came in for a fire at the Galley. "I couldn't believe it at first . . . it was a lot of activity for one night," he said.

When firefighters arrived at the Galley they saw smoke and flames pouring out of several second story windows and through the roof. Firefighters used a ladder truck to train water hoses on the building's second-story deck, and entered the first floor to spray the ceiling and stairwell.

Firefighters from West Tisbury and Aquinnah also provided mutual aid.

Mr. Norton estimated that a total of 30 firefighters and numerous other emergency medical technicians responded to the scene. Firefighters had the blaze under control in about 45 minutes but stayed longer to extinguish several hot spots and prevent flareups.

Mr. Norton said the state fire marshal inspected the building later that morning. He said the cause of the fire was still uncertain.

Ms. Fenner said she thought the cause of the fire was likely electrical, and fire officials have focused their investigation on a cord that powered a portable phone on the second floor, as well as a power strip, also on the second floor. Ms. Fenner pointed to the extensive damage to the north side of the building, noting that the fire was pushed by the winds blowing off the harbor. Because it was summer, she said, the windows had been left open.

Ms. Fenner praised the firefighters for saving the building.

"If they showed up any later then they did - even a few minutes - the damage might have been much worse. We might not be opening up again [next spring]," she said.

The salvation of the building will come as a relief to the loyal Galley customers who flock to the little shop both for the vanilla soft serve and the great view of Menemsha Channel. It is a popular spot for families to buy ice cream cones before walking down the pier or to the beach to watch the sunset.

Ms. Fenner said she was concerned about the 25 or so employees who were put out of work when the restaurant closed. But thankfully, she said, several other stores and restaurants had already the contacted the Fenner family to ask about hiring the displaced employees.

Despite traces of a silver lining yesterday, a faint melancholy still hung in the air. A family with three young boys who were clearly in the market for ice cream were surprised to find the shop closed for the season. The family paused to read the sign from the Fenner family explaining that the shop would return "ready, willing and able to serve you next spring." Another letter from Romy David, a regular customer, read: "Dear Galley Crew.

"I'm so sorry about what happened. I'm also excited to come back next year and have your amazing food and ice cream."