Early morning fire shuts down Johnny McTighe's in Blue Mountain Beach (UPDATED)(PHOTOS)

South Walton Fire District personnel were on hand this morning at Johnny McTighe's in Blue Mountain Beach after an on-duty Walton County deputy saw flames coming from the back of the Irish Pub around 5 a.m.

A Johnny McTighe's employee said the fire was believed to be "electrical, but they did not know for sure."

He added that the inside of the establishment was ok, its just the outside deck in the back that suffered the main damage.

Johnny McTighe's has been open since St. Patrick's Day, 2009.

To see more pictures from the fire, click here.

According to a press release issued around 10:20 a.m., SWFD units arrived on scene a few minutes after the initial 911 call at 5:22 a.m., to find large embers from the fire crossing the roadway.

The firefighters were able to subdue the fire in seven minutes according to the release.

The design features of Johnny McTighe's, in particular, the steel exterior doors, helped keep the fire from entering the building.

The SWFD Fire Marshall, along with the State Fire Marshal's Office, is currently investigating the cause of the fire.

Angel McCurdy of the Daily News offered this update:

BLUE MOUNTAIN BEACH —Two parrots were killed in a Friday morning fire at Johnny McTighe's in Blue Mountain Beach.

South Walton Fire District responded at 5:30 a.m. after an on-duty Walton County deputy saw flames coming from the back of the Irish Pub.

According to SWFD Deputy Chief Sean Hughes, the cause of the fire is believed to be caused by a malfunctioning space heater.

Two McCoy Parrots on the back dock were being warmed by the space heater.

The dock was a total loss, but the interior of the restaurant suffered only smoke damage, Hughes said.

Johnny McTighe's has been open since St. Patrick's Day, 2009.

The SWFD was still on scene at 9:30 a.m.