LEWISVILLE — A barn being used for a wedding reception accidentally caught fire and burned Saturday night, and while none of the guests was injured the barn was a total loss, according to Steve Williams, the assistant fire chief of the Lewisville Fire Department.
Williams said his department was called out at 8:52 p.m. to the 8000 block of Concord Church Road Saturday night. On arrival, Williams said, firefighters found all of the reception guests out of the barn but the structure was “very well involved.”
“We mounted an attack to try to control the fire, but it was way too big for us to save anything,” Williams said.
The fire was under control by 9:14 p.m. but not extinguished until around midnight, Williams said.
“We had to use our ladder truck and large hose lines, which obviously takes more effort and people to set up and function,” Williams said. “We did use our drone to help us manage where the hot spots were and where we needed to flow the water.”
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The fire started when someone placed a shirt on top of a sauna heater inside the barn that was then accidentally switched on, Williams said.
According to tax records, the barn and property are owned by Rusty and Tammy Larue. Williams said, adding that while the barn is not a commercially-operated event center, it is used by the family occasionally for various functions.
An owner declined comment on Sunday.
Williams said that one firefighter received a minor burn to his knee when some doors fell off the upper part of the barn and sent flames under the firefighter’s pants, but Williams said the burn required no hospital treatment.
The barn did not have sprinklers, a fire alarm or a smoke detector, Williams said, adding that none of those things was required.
Some 50 firefighters from various departments including Vienna, Clemmons and Forsyth County worked the fire, Williams said.
Williams estimated the property loss at $200,000.
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