Weekend fire that destroyed part of a local brewery was so hot, it melted a metal building
A Friday-night fire that destroyed part of Walnut River Brewing Company’s property at 111 W. Locust in El Dorado could not have come at a worse time, says co-owner BJ Hunt.
Though the fire destroyed only the brewery’s storage area — not the production facility or the tap room — all the equipment the brewery needed for its big NCAA party this weekend at 400 S. Commerce was in the building that burned.
Actually, Hunt said, “burned” might not be the best word for what the fire did.
“Oh buddy, it just melted the metal building,” he said on Monday. “It’s going to have to come down.”
The fire, Hunt said, broke out around 11:30 p.m. on Friday night. Both the El Dorado and Augusta fire departments responded as did the Towanda volunteer fire department.
Though there’s no information available about what might have caused the fire, it burned so hot that it melted the metal support beams in the storage area and caused kegs to explode. It also destroyed a forklift and some already-brewed beer.
The storage facility shares a wall with the brewery’s production and canning facility and its tap room. Amazingly, Hunt said, that side of the business got a little smoky but was otherwise unharmed.
In addition to the kegs and other equipment, the storage facility also was housing the tents, tables and serving troughs that the brewery planned to use at its NCAA Tournament booth, scheduled to open at Waterman and Commerce on Wednesday.
Liquor distributor House of Schwan is loaning the brewery everything it needs to open, though, so the party will proceed as planned, Hunt said.
The fire could have been so much worse, he said. He’s been touched by the outpouring of support.
“We’ve had breweries from all over the state and just great people reaching out,” he said. “My phone has been going nonstop.”
Though the fire’s timing was terrible, Hunt said, he’s glad it didn’t stop the brewery’s NCAA plans. Its booth will be open from Wednesday through Saturday at the corner of Commerce and Waterman.
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