WillaDean’s Fire Determined to be Accidental, Hartwell Fire Chief Said

Investigators with the Georgia State Fire Marshal’s office have confirmed that the fire that destroyed Willa Dean’s Tavern in Hartwell was electrical and ruled accidental.

In a statement on the Hartwell Fire Department’s Facebook page, Chief Alan Daniel said the investigation into the cause of the fire included fire investigators from his department, the State Fire Marshal’s Office, and the insurance company.

Daniel said the insurance company also brought in a third-party investigator and an electrical engineer.

“All investigations came to the same conclusion, which is that the fire was accidental and it started in the wiring trough of the original electrical service within the building,” Daniel said. “The fire and arcing within the system extended from the trough and ignited nearby combustibles. The fire then traveled to the attic and followed the roof truss to the ridge.”

He said the blaze started in the wiring trough of the original electrical service within the building. The fire and arcing within the system extended from the trough and ignited nearby combustibles. Daniel said the fire then traveled to the attic and followed the roof truss to the ridge.

“During the investigation, we were able to obtain footage from the camera system that showed the fire burned for close to 3 hours in the attic before it broke through where a gentleman spotted it from the first bridge on Reed Creek Rd. on his way to work and notified 911,” Daniel said.

The structure did not have a fire sprinkler system or a fire detection system because Daniel said neither were required when the structure was built.