[cifnmedia] FOLLOW UP ON THE WEST FRANKFORT IL. FIRE
- From: Sean & Kimberly Aaron <cifn@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: CIFN LIST <cifnmedia@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 23 Feb 2004 08:00:58 -0800 (PST)
Fire destroys businesses, post office
in historic section of West Frankfort
By Tim Hastings
American News Service
WEST FRANKFORT -- West Frankfort Fire Chief Larry Jamrozek said he was unsure
of the cause of a fire which destroyed the Frankfort Heights Post Office, a
hair salon and three other businesses occupying a single one-story building Ton
East Main Street Tuesday night.
"I'm leaning toward an electrical cause," Jamrozek said, "but I'm not sure. I
don't know if we'll ever know the cause."
Jamrozek said Wednesday morning that he did not consider the origin of the fire
suspicious.
Jamrozek said employees and patrons of the Yankee Clipper, a hair salon in the
1700 block of East Main Street, were evacuated from the salon when the fire
began in the roof above them.
"Apparently people across the street had smelled some smoke and got them out,"
Jamrozek said.
He said firefighters started their attack inside the building about 7:30 p.m.
"Our initial attack was inside," he said. "Once we got inside, there was a
backdraft explosion that blew out the back of the building. We pulled our men
out and fought the blaze from outside and protected the structures around the
building."
Three firefighters attempting to fight the blaze from a ladder extended over
the roof of the hair salon got off the ladder after the roof became engulfed in
flames.
According to Jamrozek, no one was injured in the blaze.
He estimated the damage to the buildings to be $250,000; the damage estimate to
contents was unknown.
"Sometimes they estimate contents at half of the value of the building," he
said.
Jamrozek said he hoped to get a backhoe on site Wednes-day to allow the post
office to see if any mail was salvageable in post-office boxes.
"Once we get a backhoe in here, we can get the mail out," he said. "I can't get
in there now because the structure is unsafe."
The Frankfort Heights Post-mistress, Jan Bubanovich, was at the site at 7:30
a.m. Wednes-day but said post office policy required her to refer all questions
to her supervisors.
Jamrozek said his staff fought the fire until 1 a.m. Wednesday. Benton,
Zeigler, Carterville, Thompsonville, Johnston City and Royalton Fire
departments assisted.
West Frankfort Police guarded the remains of the post office throughout the
night. A section of Main Street near the destroyed building was still blocked
to traffic in both directions Wednesday morning.
Sean A. Aaron (CIFN*1)
Central Illinois Fire Network
cifn@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
www.geocities.com/central_illinois_firenet
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