Still Piecing Together What Caused Full Throttle’s Demise

Investigators continue to sift through the rubble of what used to be the Full Throttle Saloon. It’s the day after with little information as to what caused the fire.

The Tuesday morning blaze destroyed the iconic structure. Most of the popularity stems from the reality television special that followed the lives of bar owners Michael Ballard and his wife as they hosted hundreds of thousands of bikers during the annual motorcycle rally.

KBHB Radio in Sturgis reports that the storage of hundreds of gallons of grain alcohol on site helped fuel Tuesday’s fire. Plus the lack of adjacent fire hydrants on the grounds aided in the structure’s demise.

Fire crews had to use water tenders, or reservoirs, to fight the blaze. That meant trucks had to go back and forth to Sturgis High School, the nearest fire hydrant nearly a mile away and refill with water.

Sturgis Mayor Mark Carstensen says while the city hasn’t spoke with Ballard yet about his loss, he credited the great work fire crews did to keep the blaze confined to the Full Throttle. “It’s just impressive when we have a volunteer fire department and they are out there so quickly. (It’s) a tough situation.”

Investigators will be focusing on what started the fire as they look for clues today. Early witnesses say they saw smoke coming from the roof of the building in the early stages of the fire. The moonshine distillery was located on the back side of the building. It will be another place of interest for investigators.

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