Log Cabin Inn fire ruled not suspicious

By Nathan Mayberg
WANTAGE — A Sunday morning fire that caused extensive damage to the Log Cabin Inn in Wantage, has been ruled as not suspicious, according to Sussex County Fire Marshal Joe Inga.

The new owner of the former restaurant and tavern on Route 284 was preparing to reopen the restaurant in a few weeks, he said.

The fire was reported at approximately 11 a.m. and tore through much of the building. Inga said he could not say whether the building is salvagable.

"An exact cause is undetermined," Inga said. The building is owned by Douglas Thomson and has been closed for several years.

Sussex County Assistant Fire Marshal Daniel Stoll was on the scene of the fire. He said firefighters were able to bring most of the fire under control after about an hour.

"It's an older structure," Stoll said. "There were a lot of void spaces and a lot of hot spots."

Stoll said the interior of the structure suffered widespread damange but said the outside structure was intact.

"There is going to have to be some work done to it," he said. "It should be rehabitable."

Reporting to the scene of the fire were the Wantage, Sussex, Hardyston, Montague, Pochuk Valley and Unionville fire departments. Sussex and Wantage EMS squads also responded, though no injuries were reported.

— Photos by Gale Miko