Early morning blaze destroys La Cygne restaurant

On Wednesday morning, La Cygne firefighters remained on the scene of the fire that gutted the Wagon Wheel in the early morning hours. Layers of construction keep the firefighters busy extinguishing hot spots. (Photos by Roger Sims / Linn County Journal)

By Roger Sims

linncountyjournal@icloud.com

LA CYGNE – Linn County’s premier steakhouse was severely damaged early Wednesday, Dec. 17, in a fire that started sometime before 3:20 a.m. The building and much of its contents appeared to be a total loss as La Cygne city firefighters continued to pour water on hotspots more than seven hours after the blaze was called in.

Linn County dispatch sent out a call to several fire departments with a report that a call was received at about 3:20 a.m. saying that the Wagon Wheel restaurant at 602 E. Market St. was on fire with large flames visible and heavy smoke coming from the front and west side of the building.

La Cygne firefighter Thomas Capp hoses down a hotspot in the back part of the restaurant.

What made the fire particularly difficult was that the older building had walls with several layers of paneling that made extinguishing the fire difficult. Firefighters ripped off portions of the metal exterior and dug into walls framed with 2x4s and filled with insulation to get to potential hot spots after the fire was under control.

Steve Keaton, owner of the restaurant, said firefighters told him to keep watch on the building for at least two to three days to may sure the fire didn’t rekindled.

He said the fire put 18 employees out of work, including eight full-time staff.

That was particularly hurtful because the staff and even the customers who frequented the restaurant were so close, said Carrie Page, financial manager for several of Keaton’s operations. “The employees are like family,” she said.

Firefighters removed portions of the metal siding to extinguish flames inside of the walls.

Keaton acknowledged that the fire particularly hurt during the holiday season when diners normally would be filling the 30 tables in the dining area and 12 seats at the bar.

He also said people had contacted him about starting a Go Fund Me page to raise money to rebuild, however, he expected that it would take some time to work through an insurance claim.

Wagon Wheel manager Linda Jo Hisel cleans off a photo of her family that hung in the restaurant.

Keaton indicated it was too early to make any decisions on what would come next. He said he wasn’t aware of any available building nearby that could serve as a temporary home for the restaurant.

La Cygne Fire Chief Dan Nasalroad said that the city firefighters received backup from a couple of Linn County units to help fight the blaze. He also said that the La Cygne firetrucks were adequate for supplying water to fight the blaze, but the manpower was needed to bring the blaze under control quickly.

The wire remnants of an artificial Christmas tree remain in the front of the building near the entrance. It was a reminder of what was lost in the fire.

There was some initial concern that the fire would spread to a building close to the restaurant on the east, particularly because it was owned by fireworks retailer Eddie Shay of Parker. However, fire crews kept the adjacent building watered down, and Police Chief Zachary Mathies said that no fireworks are kept in the building during the off-season.