Clark said the building’s roof is constructed of metal, styrofoam and plywood, which created challenges for those fighting the flames.
“It got into the plywood, which got in the middle between the plywood and the metal roof, so the styrofoam was feeding the fire,” said Clark.
He said it took roughly 100,000 gallons of water to extinguish the fire, which persisted for hours. Without fire hydrants in the area, most of that water came from tankers.
A wedding party was celebrating inside the building when the fire broke out; everyone evacuated safely and no one was hurt.
The wedding venue, located on Millville-Oxford Road, just opened its doors in May. The 15,000-square-foot building sits on 45 acres.
Officials have not provided information on the amount of damage the fire has done to the facility.
In July, the Journal-News reported that Hanover Reserve was already booked through 2021 and into 2022.
It is family-owned by three brothers and their wives with all of them taking an active role in the operation. Extended family has a role in Hanover Reserve, too, with everybody pitching in during construction.
It is a large piece of land with the building set back from the road far enough that traffic noise cannot be heard and provides a sense of rustic and isolated privacy.
They purchased the land in January of 2019 and spent a year and a half studying their concept. Groundbreaking was in May 2020 with construction and set-up finished just before their grand opening May 16 of this year.
In addition to the large reception room, the facility has a large covered outdoor area in back overlooking a pond with a fountain in the middle. The fountain can be lit with different colors to match a bride’s color scheme.
Upstairs is a conference room that seats 16, complete with kitchen facilities and a restroom. The conference table was made with wood from a black walnut tree that had grown on the property.