Fire destroys a year’s work at new business in Nashua

By Mira Schmitt-Cash, New Hampton Tribune

A Friday fire destroyed over a year’s worth of hard work the young owners of a successful catering business had put into the new location of Tangled Root Cafe and Catering at 309 Main St. in Nashua.

Although responders arrived quickly to the call that came about 1:30 p.m., by the time the smoke cleared windows had been shattered and holes cut in walls to fight the blaze.

The roof of the building burned through, said Nashua Fire Chief Tom Johnson.

Charles City Fire and Rescue assisted with watering down the roof using a mechanical arm and aerial truck. MidAmerican Energy staff also attempted to use a cherry picker to fight the fire, with the former supplanting their effort.

“I know it started in the back of the building,” Johnson said Friday after a walkthrough.

He noted the refrigerator and freezers were drawing some electricity.

“As of right now probably what we’re leaning toward is probably an electrical issue somewhere,” Johnson said Friday.

A state fire marshal performed a walkthrough on Saturday, Johnson said. That report was pending on Sunday.

“Sometimes it’s hard to pinpoint exactly what the culprit was,” Johnson said.

He said he was “just guessing” that the building sustained about $45,000 to $50,000 in structural damage in the roof and windows and with smoke and water damage. In addition there were business supplies that were damaged.

MidAmerican Energy assisted to take care of a downed power line behind the building that was still live.

“Just looking at it, (the power line) a little bit after the fire, I would say it probably fell away from the building more so than that it caused the fire,” Johnson said.

He said he hopes to complete a walkthrough and talk to the property owners in the next couple of days.

Tangled Root and building co-owners Angie Dietz and fiancé Chris Robinson had the property transaction recorded just over a year before, on March 29, 2017. That year, they remodeled the dining room, installing new flooring, a social media account for the business shows.

Based on the initial walkthrough, Johnson ruled out foul play.

“Nothing seems suspicious. It looks like more of an unfortunate accident, unfortunate for the property owners for sure,” Johnson said.

Just two weeks prior, Dietz and Robinson had been serving lunch alongside the Nashua Women of Today at the town festival, Water Over the Dam Days.

Robinson was already doing all of his catering and cooking out of the new location, said Rhonda Dean, who co-owns nearby Main Street business Shelby’s Southern Smokehouse. Tangled Root would host private parties in the new location, Dean said.

One of the persons person who reported the fire Friday was Shelby’s Southern Smokehouse co-owner Charles Shelby.

Dean said a Shelby’s lunch customer asked Shelby if Tangled Root had a smoker behind it. It did not. Having the smoke pointed out, he called dispatch.

“It’s devastating,” Angie Dietz said softly on Friday, as friends from the community comforted her.

Dean simply gave her friend a long hug.

“I’m so sad for them,” Dean said.

Another community member noted how sad it was to see a well-established, successful business destroyed.

About 15 Nashua Fire and Rescue members responded at the scene. They were assisted by Nashua Police Department, Iona Volunteer Fire, Charles City Fire and Rescue, Plainfield Fire and Rescue, Chickasaw County Rescue, Chickasaw Ambulance Service, Chickasaw County Sheriff’s Office and Dispatch, Chickasaw County Emergency Management Agency and MidAmerican Energy, and probably more.

Many individuals also showed up to help, including retired firefighters, an off-duty state patrol officer and off-duty police chief. Community members brought responders water and dropped off cookies and punch at the fire station.

As the department was caring for its community, Johnson said, “They’re taking care of us as much as we try to take care of them.”