Investigator unsure of fire’s cause at Honky Tonk; fire chief said there’s significant water, smoke damage to Main Street building

By Gregory Orear

General Manager/Editor

TROY – A downtown Troy business sustained significant damage in an overnight fire Wednesday.

Honky Tonk, which opened in early March, caught fire about 3 a.m., according to Lincoln County Fire Chief Mike Marlo.

While Marlo couldn’t pinpoint where the fire started, he said it was largely located in the kitchen.

The state fire marshal arrived immediately after the fire to begin an investigation into its cause, which at this time, remains undetermined.

The all-brick building, which Marlo said is very old, posed a significant danger to firefighters.

“It’s like a brick oven and when a fire gets going, it just holds the heat,” Marlo said. “Firefighters die in old buildings like this one. But I’m really proud of the job they did. They got it under control fast.”

Winfield/Foley brought a ladder truck and several firefighters to help with the blaze. (Photo courtesy of Pat Reid/Lincoln County Fire District)

Marlo said they were so fast that some of the responding firefighters were leaving the scene within 90 minutes, and by 7 a.m., all of them had returned to their stations.

And there were a lot of firefighters responding from not only Lincoln County, but St. Charles County as well.

Marlo said in addition to the Lincoln County Fire Department, other responding departments included ones from Winfield/Foley, Elsberry, Northwest Fire, Wentzville, Lake St. Louis and Warrenton were all on scene, along with members of the Lincoln County Ambulance, Troy Police and Lincoln County Sheriff’s Departments.

Firefighters try to gain access to the fire through the building’s roof. (Photo courtesy of Pat Reid/Lincoln County Fire District)

The O’Fallon fire department sent a truck and personnel to man the Troy station during the fire.

The fire also resulted in a broken water main located behind the Lincoln County Courthouse, near the hydrant firefighters used to extinguish the blaze.

“Fortunately, that didn’t affect us,” Marlo said. “The water pressure was fine.”

Beyond a few charred spots, the exterior of the building looks to be fairly intact. Inside though, Marlo said there is significant smoke and water damage.

“I imagine its going to be a long, long time before they are able to reopen,” he said.

According to its Facebook page, Troy Honky Tonk opened in early March and had quickly become a favorite restaurant, bar and performance venue, featuring several live musical acts.

Responding firefighters take a break outside Honky Tonk after extinguishing the fire. (Photo courtesy of Pat Reid/Lincoln County Fire District)

The inside of the Honky Tonk. (Photo courtesy of Pat Reid/Lincoln County Fire District)

Smoke pours of the inside of the Honky Tonk in downtown Troy. (Photo courtesy of Pat Reid/Lincoln County Fire District)