Rouer’s Roadhouse Pavilion Damaged by Fire

The pavilion at Rouer’s Roadhouse on County C in the Town of Gardner was damaged by fire Saturday night, but the blaze did not spread to the main bar, which remains open. Submitted.

The pavilion at Rouer’s Roadhouse at 8649 County C in the Town of Gardner was damaged by fire Saturday night, Jan. 27.

The blaze, for which the Brussels-Union Gardner Fire Department was dispatched at 8:04 pm, was contained to the unoccupied pavilion and did not spread to the main Rouer’s Roadhouse Saloon, which remains open. No injuries were reported from the fire.

BUG Fire Chief Curt Vandertie said the northwest corner of the pavilion, which is approximately 15 feet from the main bar, was fully engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived. They were able to knock down the flames in about 10 minutes.

Vandertie said fire crews then entered the building and extinguished the fire that extended into the roof line as the flames moved along the ceiling and traveled the length of the building. They used about 8,500 gallons of water to put out the blaze.

He said the building had been locked, and the last time anyone had been known to be inside was about 24 hours before the fire was reported.

Vandertie said the origin of the fire, for which the cause had yet to be determined as of early this week, has been isolated to the north end of the bar area of the indoor pavilion that sustained major fire, smoke and water damage. The remainder of the building sustained some level of fire, smoke and water damage.

He said the pavilion had been used for storage at the time of the fire, which damaged various items inside such as all-terrain vehicles, a boat and a skid-steer

The BUG Fire Department, which responded with nine units and 25 firefighters and cleared the scene at 10:15 pm, received assistance from the Southern Door, Nasewaupee, Sturgeon Bay and Luxemburg fire departments, along with Door County EMS, Door County Sheriff’s Office and Door County 911 Emergency Communications Center.

The Egg Harbor Fire Department assisted with the on-scene investigation, while the Casco Fire Department provided standby coverage at BUG Fire Station No. 1.

Pavilion Used for Community Events

Rouer’s Roadhouse owner Dave Rouer said the pavilion was used throughout the year for community events, such as group fundraisers and weddings, and he is more concerned about the people who used the building for those purposes than he is about himself with the main bar able to remain open.

“The main business is fine,” he said.

Rouer said the fully insulated pavilion functioned in Gardner as a community center, and with a building footprint of about 24 feet by 70 feet, it could accommodate more than 100 people inside, plus others who could be outside for certain events.

He said he won’t know until the pavilion is cleaned up inside to see whether the building could be repaired or if it would have to be demolished and rebuilt.

The investigation into the fire has involved the BUG Fire Department and Rouer working with his insurance company.