WAUSAU, WI (WSAU-WAOW) – A fire erupted on Thursday morning at Charlie’s Smokehouse Bar & Grill located on Chico Road near Highway 52.
“I came out to check on what was happening. I opened the door, and the kitchen was engulfed in flames,” said Charles Wandall, Owner of Charlie’s Smokehouse Bar & Grill.
The fire started sometime after midnight on Thursday morning. The Ringle, Easton, Hewitt, and Wausau Fire Departments showed up; despite their efforts, the building was ruined. “The problem is it’s an old building; it’s been here since the 1920’s at least. It got into the ceiling, and when the fire took off, they couldn’t control it more than anything else,” Wandall said.
The cause of the fire may never be confirmed, but Charles believes he may know what started it. “Now we are not exactly sure, but more than likely because of how old the building is and everything else in the building, it’s more than likely an electrical fire,” Wandall said.
The Wandall’s bought the building that formerly held Chico’s Mexican restaurant just one year ago. “We put everything in our lives into this, so it was devastating when we realized that the building was gone,” Wandall said.
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