FORT SMITH -- Fire destroyed the popular Red Barn Steakhouse on Wednesday, a Fort Smith landmark that had been in operation for 67 years.
The Fort Smith Fire Department received the fire call at 10:15 a.m., Fire Marshal Ronnie Rogers said. When he arrived at 3716 Newlon Road, he said, the fire had burned through the roof. The building is a total loss, he said.
Four pumper trucks along with two ladder trucks responded to the blaze. He said two firefighters were overcome by the heat but they were treated at the scene.
The cause and starting point for the fire were under investigation Wednesday.
Longtime Red Barn employee Virginia Crotzer said the Red Barn was built in 1907 as a horse barn but was converted to a restaurant in 1947. She said one of the things that made the restaurant popular was that diners could eat in the original horse stalls.
NW News on 07/24/2014