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What is this?
Blaze wasn't caused by arson
Published Monday, January 19, 2009
“There are a number of entities who have a property interest in the fire scene,” Austin Fire Chief Dan Wilson said today.
“We will have to take extra precautions to protect the scene for others who need to examine the scene,” Wilson said.
Ice still coats the scene of a 4 p.m. Thursday (Jan. 15) fire along North Main Street in downtown Austin in the 400-block.
At least six buildings were damaged in the blaze.
Austin firefighters were assisted by volunteer firefighters from Blooming Prairie, Rose Creek and Brownsdale.
Firefighters battled sub-zero temperatures throughout Thursday evening to bring it under control.
Because of concerns the fire could flare up in near century-old buildings, firefighters remained on the scene until Friday evening the following day.
Tonight (Monday), the State Fire Marshall’s office investigators, AFD representatives and private investors (insurance claims adjusters) will meet to prepare a plan for the on-site investigation scheduled to begin Tuesday.
“We will use technical specialists, heavy equipment and demolition personnel in preparing how we can investigate the scene,” Wilson said.
Wilson squelched rumors of possible arson involved in the blaze with an emphatic “No.” He said, “All we’re trying to do now is determine how it happened. It’s a ‘cause and origin’ type investigation at this time.”
A warm-up in temperatures will help by melting the ice, inches thick, on the fire scene’s debris, the Fire Chief said. Also, plans call for using a back hoe to push through the debris to get at the interior of the buildings.
The fire is believed to have started in one of the buildings, the Mi Tierra Restaurant, a grocery store and a clothing shop, at the south end of the 400-block on the east side of the street.
No injuries from any occupants, store personnel or customers were reported.
Neither did any of the fire departments suffer injuries to their personnel or Austin Utilities workers who were called to the scene to shut off gas and electricity.
Also assisting the investigation is the number of photographs and video, being supplied by media who covered the blaze and civilians.
“We appreciate all of them,” Wilson said. “It will help our investigation.”
The Ace Hotel in 1979 claimed four lives and occurred under similar conditions — a sub-zero night, during January — as the latest fire. Wilson was an ambulance service emergency medical condition when the Ace Hotel tragedy occurred 30 years ago.
The Ellis Middle School fire in 1986 resulted in a property loss estimated at $13-million.
Wilson called the downtown fire’s loss “devastating.”
“Despite the fact, there were no losses of life or injuries, this fire loss is devastating,” he said. “I’m just thankful we were able to limit the losses on Main Street.”
There were 27 Austin firefighters at the scene and 48 from the Brownsdale, Rose Creek and Blooming Prairie fire departments.
According to the Fire Chief, an Albert Lea Fire Department engine en route to the scene with five more firefighters “froze up” on Interstate 90 and was relegated to the Austin Fire Station to “warm-up,” while the fire roared downtown.
The Fire Chief credited Lee Hansen with assisting the firefighters’ efforts.
“Lee operated the back hoe that knocked a hole in the buildings which allowed us to direct water into the fire,” Wilson said. “He drove that back hoe in 20-degree below zero temperature and did a great job.”
“This was a defensive fire,” Wilson said. “After I went through the grocery store and restaurant and checked out the basements, I made that call. It was to be defensive only. We weren’t going into the buildings.”
No dollar estimate of the damages has yet been announced.
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Comments
Posted by Bug (anonymous) on January 19, 2009 at 3:36 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Way to go Willey. What a fantastic job. You lost an entire city block less than 5 blocks from your station. Good Job! God bless your brave firefighters. But until you have a real leader this is the best you can get. Austin is infatuated by mediocre leadership. You have a police chief that can’t stop crime in his own office never mind the streets of Austin. You have Don Fox his only accomplishment as coach is to put one of his footballers in a wheelchair. So you make him a principal and now school board member with our friend #2 in the police department on drug charges.
I lived in that fair city for a few years the worst years of my life. It is the only town I know that counts progress by the number of buildings torn down. Every home owner in Austin is valued as long as your house is in the “Right” part of town. I mean for haven sakes You have a corporate logo on your High School. Wake up and smell the coffee if you can over the pigs.
Posted by mahimahi (anonymous) on January 19, 2009 at 3:52 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Well fyi "Bug", not everyone has the choice of getting up and moving away. if you cared so deeply about the problems, you would have done something about in when you lived here and not ran away with your tail between your legs. My house may not be in the right part of town, but i still feel that i am a valued citizen if i put my time and energy into it. And what does the football coach and the police dept drug charges have to do with the fire? maybe you got them flowers to far up your nose?
Posted by austinbri (anonymous) on January 19, 2009 at 4:32 p.m. (Suggest removal)
How the heck can arson be ruled out when the investigation hasn't even begun...Call me kooky, call me crazy, but it seems like no one has been on the inside of the buildings to investigate since the fire, but the fire chief says emphatically..
“No.” He said, “All we’re trying to do now is determine how it happened. It’s a ‘cause and origin’ type investigation at this time.”
What?? It's not arson, but we are trying to determine how it happened...........seriously...amd I missing something??
Posted by leftthehatebehind (anonymous) on January 19, 2009 at 4:46 p.m. (Suggest removal)
FYI mahimahi, that is a lame excuse to defend your town. What are you doing yourself to improve Austin? What Bug had to say pretty accurate, sorry you took such offense to it and it struck a nerve. Maybe you are one of the people he mentioned?
Posted by mahimahi (anonymous) on January 19, 2009 at 6:02 p.m. (Suggest removal)
haha no. i have actually been working construction to help revitalize this downtown. not everyone in austin just sits back and talks about doing something without actually doing it. and yes it does strike a nerve when i see something we have been trying to make better, just burn down. arson or not, everyone that helped did all they could and i for one am not going to put anyone down that was actually HELPING
Posted by Rhino (anonymous) on January 20, 2009 at 8:21 a.m. (Suggest removal)
mahimahi, bug didnt put anyone down that was helping, fire chief wasnt helping... he was running around a fire without his gear on, so he didnt have to get dirty or something. he was making important decisions like calling fire departments 5 and 10 miles away, instead of calling our closest neighbor mapleview. He doesnt like the fire chief in mapleview so who cares if the block burns, call someone else. and as for the excuse of why they didnt call mapleview was that they saved them for the chance of another fire call in Austin??? there was one, they sent a Brownsdale truck from the downtown fire.And ruling out arson already, pretty quick call on his part, shows his intelect. There is no leader ship in that fire house.And because you are working construction you are doing something to help? So because i dont work construction i'm not doing anything??? I promise you my tax dollars are doing more then your hammer. Good luck on your argument mahi, next time put your brain in gear before you step on the gas.
Posted by ltjrdsj (anonymous) on January 20, 2009 at 12:04 p.m. (Suggest removal)
most comments are (DRAMA QUEENS) What does Mr.Fox have to do with the fire???? why not sling crap at the P-9 too??? for selling out there children? or bitch because the city never replaced (SHAW GYM) remember that??? The point is the fire,,,direct your comments to it!!! most of you are acting like a teen aged DRAMA QUEENS!!! GROW UP. They might have done better...but what did you do? NOT A DAMN THING BUT BITCH.Regardless about Wilson---he's the BOSS. does your boss get his shoe's dirty? NO, thats why you have a job, so shut up.Wilson should have called Mapleview!!! but didnt so, This whole story is sad,but your comments make it a thousand times worse. ESPECIALY when you take cheep shots at other situations and other people.(((A.D.D.)))??? MAYBE YOU SHOULD aply for these job's,,,since your mouths say you can do so much better???SHOW US!! or shut up.
Posted by Ifyouaskme (anonymous) on January 20, 2009 at 7:34 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Wasn't it Mayor Steihm who started the arson rumor by being quoted in the newspaper that he had his "suspicion" how the fire started? No one will know until the investigation is complete.
Nearby buildings were saved with corporation of Austin and other area fire departments. No one was hurt. Guess that means that the fire chief did do his job well that night-no matter how he was dressed or if you personally like or dislike him.
Aren't these comments suppose to be about the story--not personal attacks towards one another who contribute their opinions?
Posted by Rhino (anonymous) on January 21, 2009 at 9:25 a.m. (Suggest removal)
But, ifyouaskme, if we would have been a full staff, full time fire dept, and better responce time, (calling a closer dept. first), FOUR businesses wouldnt be a total loss it may have been only 1 or 2. Mayor Stiehm's suspicion could have been drug related? how did you get arson out of that??? Wilson ruled out arson before the investigation even started, how i dont know. so read a little, do some home work then comment. Oh and this is the opinions part, freedom of speech, need i say more?
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