Fire damages barbecue restaurant off I-74 in Hendricks County
LIZTON, Ind. (WISH) — A barbecue restaurant is making plans to reopen after sustaining damage in a fire Wednesday morning.
Lizton-Union Township Fire Department was called shortly after 8:05 a.m. Wednesday to Rusted Silo Southern BBQ & Brew House, 411 N. State St. That’s just south of the I-75 interchange for State Road 39 in northern Hendricks County.
The restaurant was closed when the fire broke out, and no injuries were reported.
The fire minimally damaged the restaurant structure, the department said in a news release. The restaurant’s website said Wednesday night, “Rusted Silo is Temporarily Closed Due to Fire Damage. We will be back soon!”
Owner Rob Ecker told News 8 by email, “What we know currently is that the fire started in a slow cooking unit overnight, possibly due to a power surge or lightning strike from the passing storms. The fire spread into the adjacent wall where some studs were ignited and left smoldering, creating an abundance of smoke and intense heat.”
Ecker added, “We will be closed for the foreseeable future, pending restoration efforts. Plans are in the works to serve a limited menu from our food truck, onsite at the Silo, as soon as next week.”
He also called the outpouring of support, prayers and offers of assistance “greater than we could ever have imagined.”
In a video on Facebook, Ecker said, “I wanted to say thank you to everybody who’s switched out and shown us support today. If you can’t tell how much it means to me, your support and your love, then I’m not sure anybody would be able to see it.”
The fire department’s release said Ecker “is an asset to the community. He truly cares about everyone before himself. Previously Rob traveled back to his hometown in Bay County, Florida to help victims of Hurricane Michael. Rob took food and supplies down to feed as many people as he could. He fed over 3,000 on his trip down there. As a community we will come together and help Rob and his family reopen. The LUTFD sends our deepest condolences to the Rusted Silo family and we are here for anything they need to help reopen.”
Pittsboro Fire Department and the Brownsburg Fire Territory assisted. A Brownsburg crew was working to confirm the cause of the fire.
Lizton is a town of nearly 500 about 12 miles west of Indianapolis.