A Thanksgiving blaze has left a savory staple of New Caney, the Rusty Buckle BBQ Company, indefinitely shuttered after rampant flames consumed the smokehouse and inflicted extensive damage throughout the property.
Hopping from one turkey delivery to the next on the day for which he's most celebrated, owner Allen Rhoden received an alarming call that his beloved establishment, known for dishing out smoked meats since 2018, was engulfed in fire. Driving to the scene, Rhoden caught sight of the dark billows of smoke marking his business's distress, the KHOU reported.
The fire department was strategically combating the blaze, triggered, as it turned out, by a commercial pellet smoker gone awry. While the dining area remained intact, the aftermath devastated the backbone of the BBQ hub, including the prep kitchen. Thankfully, none were present to suffer injuries during the inferno, which coincided with an ironically proposed feast for the firefighters who were battling the flames, as Rhoden quipped in a commentary obtained by KHOU.
In a true testament to resilient spirit amidst unforeseen disaster, the owner exuded determination to rebuild, reassuring the community through social media, according to the Houston Chronicle. "We are determined to rise from these temporary ashes and restore our business and our routine to one that is bigger and better, something this community deserves," stated Rhoden. The inventory process has commenced as the fire marshal and insurance assessors perform their inquiry, scrutinizing everything from seasoning to smokers.
No time frame has been floated for the reopening of the Rusty Buckle, leaving local BBQ aficionados with a sour tang of loss during the holiday season. An estimate of the total cost wrought by the blaze has yet to be dished out by officials. Meanwhile, Rhoden, clinging to the firepower of thankfulness in the face of adversity, maintained, "We still have more to be thankful about than we do to complain about," he firmly told KHOU.
