Outside Appearance Conceals Charred Inside of Mr. G’s

Photo by Tad Dukehart.

The structure still stands, but the charred inside is damaged by fire, soot, chemicals and smoke

This is not how the Geitner family wanted to call it quits.

For nearly 50 years, the family has owned the Logan Creek Grille in Jacksonport and its attached Fernwood Gardens Ballroom. The property also includes a 1,638-square-foot, three-bedroom apartment on the second floor, where current owners Bob and Mary Geitner raised their five children until the space became too small for the large clan.

“You put your whole soul and life into a place for 40-plus years,” Bob Geitner said on Tuesday. “You want to retire, but not this way.”

A Sunday, Oct. 23, fire broke out at the iconic Door County restaurant and banquet hall that Bob’s parents, Bob and Lorraine, purchased in the early 1970s.

Jacksonport Fire Chief Nathan LeClair had not finished his investigation by press time as to where and how the fire began.

“It looks like something malfunctioned in the kitchen storage area,” said Geitner, who was walking through the charred debris while talking with the Peninsula Pulse. “I’m speculating from what I hear.”

The kitchen was completely destroyed, as was a storage area, laundry room and furnace room, with the melted remains of unidentifiable objects all over. Flames had also reached a newly remodeled banquet room.

“Even the bar and little dining room by the sunroom – it’s full of soot and chemicals,” Geitner said.

LeClair said crews were dispatched at 12:15 pm on Oct. 23 after a passerby witnessed smoke coming from the backside of the building.

“The person who had called it in had gone up to the residence [on the second floor above the restaurant] and searched, but no one was home,” LeClair said. “But they did get a dog out of there.”

The restaurant was already closed for the season, and no one was inside the building when the fire broke out. LeClair said when they arrived on the scene a few minutes after the call, the outside of the back kitchen area was already in flames. They knocked that back quickly and made entry about 15 minutes after the initial call to search for all the fires and hot spots in the large space.

“At that point, I knew I needed more manpower based on the initial entry,” LeClair said.

They would end up going through the side of the second story to get all the flames out, using 5,000 gallons of water and foam before they were finished, with nearby Logan Creek providing the water source.

All things considered, LeClair said that was not a lot of water.

“It could have been a lot worse,” he said. “I think every party involved is fortunate.”

He attributed that to the quick action of the person who called, to the speed of the departments that responded and to the backup support he received. 

“I just needed personnel, not more engines – just bodies,” he said. 

Those bodies showed up, with 50-60 emergency responders on the scene. And they arrived from every department – from Sister Bay in the north, to Casco and Algoma in Kewaunee County in the south.

“It helped,” LeClair said. “They knew what they were doing.”

The Door County Sheriff’s Office closed Highway 57 for the duration of the firefighting effort to enable backup crews to work more easily at the site.

At the time of the fire, Geitner and his wife were in New Orleans for their son Matthew’s wedding. They flew back to Door County on Monday evening, with Geitner getting a first look at the damage after dawn on Tuesday. 

The restaurant and banquet hall had closed for the season only a couple of weeks ago, with the last wedding event held Oct. 15. The property has been on the market since earlier this year, and Geitner said they did have some interest – some quite recent.

“I think this will nix that pretty well,” he said.

Geitner was waiting to talk with his insurance company but had never experienced a fire and didn’t know what to expect.

“I’ve got insurance; I don’t know how good it is,” he said.

Fires have now hit two iconic Door County restaurants on a Sunday two weeks apart. The first happened Oct. 9 at The English Inn in Fish Creek, when smoke coming from malfunctioning electrical wiring forced the evacuation of diners but did not cause any damage. No one was hurt in that incident, and the restaurant reopened the following evening.