|
|
|
Cause of the fire that burned a Main Street building is undetermined, but the city’s fire marshal believes the fire may have started outside the business near a wall in the alley.
Firefighters responded to 107 E. Main about 1 a.m. Thursday and were continuing to douse hots spots on the building Thursday afternoon.
It was too hot and dangerous for fire investigators to go inside for further investigation and the structure was in danger of collapse.
Because of that, Shawnee Fire Chief Jimmy Gibson said they requested a contractor to demolish the building as part of their suppression efforts, something he doesn’t think fire crews here have done before.
Shawnee Fire Marshal David Anderson said pockets of fire from different ceilings were still burning in the rubble and would have likely burned for days if the demolition hadn’t taken place.
The contractor knocked down the walls so crews could douse the debris and get those pockets of fire under control.
While cause of the fire hasn’t been determined, Anderson said it appears the blaze started outside the building against a wall on the alley side.
By Thursday afternoon, Anderson said they hadn’t found anything accidental to cause the blaze, but the probe was ongoing.
The fire consumed the building, but fire crews were able to keep it from spreading to businesses on each side. The building was constructed in 1897.
After demolition, the one-foot thick fire walls on each side were noticeable. Anderson said the walls were designed, even more than 100 years ago, to protect adjacent structures so that if one building collapses, the others will stand.
Main Street from Bell to Union was closed most of Thursday, although some nearby businesses remained opened with few problems reported.
As firefighters worked the scene continuously overnight and most of Thursday, downtown and other area merchants brought them food and drinks, for which fire crews were very appreciative.
By late Thursday afternoon, only the facade of 107 E. Main remained, with piles of bricks and debris from the antique shop inventory buried below.
The investigation is ongoing. Watch for updates.
Cause of the fire that burned a Main Street building is undetermined, but the city’s fire marshal believes the fire may have started outside the business near a wall in the alley.
Firefighters responded to 107 E. Main about 1 a.m. Thursday and were continuing to douse hots spots on the building Thursday afternoon.
It was too hot and dangerous for fire investigators to go inside for further investigation and the structure was in danger of collapse.
Because of that, Shawnee Fire Chief Jimmy Gibson said they requested a contractor to demolish the building as part of their suppression efforts, something he doesn’t think fire crews here have done before.
Shawnee Fire Marshal David Anderson said pockets of fire from different ceilings were still burning in the rubble and would have likely burned for days if the demolition hadn’t taken place.
The contractor knocked down the walls so crews could douse the debris and get those pockets of fire under control.
While cause of the fire hasn’t been determined, Anderson said it appears the blaze started outside the building against a wall on the alley side.
By Thursday afternoon, Anderson said they hadn’t found anything accidental to cause the blaze, but the probe was ongoing.
The fire consumed the building, but fire crews were able to keep it from spreading to businesses on each side. The building was constructed in 1897.
After demolition, the one-foot thick fire walls on each side were noticeable. Anderson said the walls were designed, even more than 100 years ago, to protect adjacent structures so that if one building collapses, the others will stand.
Main Street from Bell to Union was closed most of Thursday, although some nearby businesses remained opened with few problems reported.
As firefighters worked the scene continuously overnight and most of Thursday, downtown and other area merchants brought them food and drinks, for which fire crews were very appreciative.
By late Thursday afternoon, only the facade of 107 E. Main remained, with piles of bricks and debris from the antique shop inventory buried below.
The investigation is ongoing. Watch for updates.
