Wright's Mill Farm in Canterbury Must Rebuild After Fire

Wright's Mill Farm, a popular wedding venue in Canterbury, was badly damaged by fire overnight and will have to rebuild.

Events, including weddings, at Wright's Mill Farm are booked two years in advance and staff members are reaching out to customers, including a couple who planned to hold there wedding there this weekend. 

Carolann Donahue, of Canterbury, helped her best friend, Jackie, plan a wedding there and it was supposed to happen on Oct. 8

"Its absolutely devastating and it's a really hard hit to the community because it's such an amazing place. It's really sad," Donahue said. 

The owners of Wright's Mill Farm said in a Facebook post that it might take time, but they will rebuild.

Seven fire departments responded to Wright's Mill Farm, at 65 Creasey Road, around 7 p.m. on Wednesday and firefighters remained at the scene until around midnight.

The fire destroyed the farm's kitchen and damaged the lodge area.

“They are doing everything they can to accommodate their customers. They’re very well respected in the community. All people that have functions here are very, very happy with the situation and with their service. The owners right now are primarily concerned about all of their customers and their friends that have booked events here,” Canterbury Fire Marshal Paul Yellen said.

As the owners deal with what comes next, they are thankful that no one was hurt. 

"This evening Wright's Mills Farm encountered our worst nightmare," a post on the venue's Facebook page says. "While this is a tragedy beyond our imagination, we are thankful that no one was seriously injured."

Officials said on Wednesday night that two people were taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries, but the fire marshal said on Thursday morning that one person was taken to the hospital for smoke inhallation.

Now the fire marshal is looking into what caused the fire. 

"Because of the size of the fire, because of the dollar loss, we don't want to take any chances. We don't want to miss anything at all, so it's always better to get a second set of eyes to look at things," Yellen said.

Contact Us