Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Fire Burns My Home Town

This is my Home Town as I saw it last.  This photo is older, but the look is about the same.  There is only one business street in town.  For at least 35 of the years that I lived there, we were a one stop light town.
 
This is the street the parades march down, where the Homecoming Court waves and the Shriner's drive their little cars.


                                  


I got a phone call from Daughter # 2 last night about 10:30pm,  saying Daughter # 3 was on Face Book, along with her 400 closest friends, and people were chatting about our Home Town being on fire.  Soon the pictures started appearing.


This is the little town with only 500 high school students.  This is where you go to the one grocery store and the check out ladies know your name.  Where I lived for 40 some years. 

From reports, the fire started in this upstairs apartment over a new Mexican restaurant.



It then moved to both sides and got the local bar and the florist shop.



                                             And continued to burn on into the night. 

I am  continually amazed at communications. Here I am 1000 miles from there, able to see what is happening in real time.  So three businesses are gone and I'm not sure how much damage went beyond that.  The walls are all connected so I'm sure there is much damage by smoke and heat to others.  3 businesses are half the block. 

What a heartbreaking sight for a small town already hurting from today's economy.  I will update as I hear more.  My sister is gong out there to day to check on our father.  I asked her to send me pictures.

Update : This is from the alley in back.  I'm anxious and frightened, to see it from the street view.





Right now I'm thinking Johnny "Cougar" Mellencamp.... Small Town .. is fitting.

7 comments:

Tina L. Hook said...

So very sad. Here is hoping for a fast recovery.

Sweet Tea said...

That's beyond sad.
Sure hope there is insurance so people can rebuild.
I love little, country towns, they're such a big part of Americana. Statistics tell us that most businesses that have a fire do not rebuild. Hope that is not the case here.

Just Stuff From a Boomer said...

The word on the street I am hearing is that they were insured and do plan to rebuild. I sure hope so. Those builings are so old. There are pictures from 1907 or they were built before that.

Feisty Crone said...

So sorry to see and hear about your hometown. I'm glad they are rebuilding.

Intense Guy said...

The old wooden buildings really are vulnerable to the scourge of fire. I hope the insurance companies pay out quickly and don't try to welsh their way out of their contracts.

Time will heal the damage - but it won't bring back the old buildings.

mary said...

So sad. It sounds like there were no injuries though...

Far Side of Fifty said...

So very sad when old buildings burn especially in small towns ..it is so hard to recover the building and the clients once their routine has been disrupted..sad:(

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