Electrical fault ruled out in fire
DANVILLE – One insurance investigator has ruled out electrical causes for the fire that destroyed a downtown building last week, but fire officials have not been able to pinpoint what did ignite the blaze, according to Deputy Director Bobby Lillard of the Danville Fire Department.
Lillard said investigators know where the fire started – close to the back door of Danville Book World, 107 N. Vermilion St. – but can't determine the cause, which will likely officially be listed as "undetermined after investigation."
"They cannot pinpoint the cause; there's nothing specific that stands out," he said. "That's not unusual. We've had those before. It's just the nature of the game."
The fire started after 10 a.m. March 26 in the two-story building that housed Danville Book World as well as Briars and Brambles, 105 N. Vermilion St. Both downtown businesses were destroyed, but no one was injured in the fire, which took several hours to extinguish.
Owners of both businesses want to restart and are looking for other downtown sites.
Rachael Dietkus, director of Downtown Danville Inc., said she has been working with the business owners to help them find space.
Staff at William Burnside and Company hope to be back in their downtown Danville building by the end of next week. The business is next to the building that was destroyed in a fire last week. The cause of the blaze is still unknown. By Rick Danzl
"I was very happy and relieved to hear both wanted to continue their businesses but also wanted to stay downtown," she said.
Marlene Garrison, who owns Danville Book World with her husband, Ritchie Garrison, said the community has really stepped forward to help them restore their business, which had an inventory of more than 10,000 paperback books and about 13,000 comics. All were lost in the fire.
"It's just been amazing how many people have come out and said they would help. It's incredible," said Garrison, referring to people donating books to help build back an inventory.
Another Danville business, Hair Express, 501 N. Vermilion St., is hosting a book drive for the Garrisons later this month, inviting the public to bring in paperback books.
The Garrisons have also been contacted by at least two people with comic book collections they would be willing to sell to them. The Garrisons are still working out details with their insurance company but hope to have the funds to buy the collections.
"We're hoping to be open in about a month. The only thing it's dependent on right now is finding a place," she said. "We're hoping to stay in the downtown."
There are no immediate plans to take down the burned-out building, and Dietkus is also working, with assistance from state preservation officials, to determine whether the facade of the structure should and could be saved.
To get better access to hot spots the day of the fire, the fire department had a contractor remove the metal facade that had covered the historic, original brick front of the building.
Dietkus said a $2,000 emergency grant has been secured through the National Trust for Historic Preservation to allow an architect to visit the site later this week or next and determine whether the facade could be salvaged.
Dietkus said the facade has beautiful elements and is historic; the building has been owned by the same family for several generations. Dietkus met last week with the building owner, who lives in Indiana, and discussed what could be done with the site, from worst-case to best-case scenario.
Ideally, Dietkus said, the facade would be saved and a new structure built onto that front.
"We absolutely do not want, and can't afford, to have another gap in the downtown. The thought is, if the front facade can be saved, then build a new building behind it. If not, build a new one anyway," she said.
Businesses on either side of the burned-out building, William Burnside and Company to the north and Huff Photography to the south, were also affected by the fire, mostly suffering smoke and water damage. Both are working out of temporary sites while contractors clean their buildings, and both also are working with insurance adjusters to determine the scope of work to be done.
The Dale Building, which houses Huff Photography, still does not have power, said building owner Peter Blackmon, and he's not been told when it will be restored. Generators are being used to power cleaning equipment, he said.
Bruce Lindahl, vice president at Burnside, said contractors have made great progress in cleaning and restoring their building, but it still may be next week before the business reopens there. In the meantime, the office is temporarily operating out of Digital Communications, 244 Eastgate Drive, Danville.
"They've been working steadily all day every day," he said, adding that every paper needs to be wiped off, every ceiling tile removed and cleaned, every piece of furniture moved and cleaned. "There's more to be done than anyone realizes."