Posted on 12/29/2005 10:34:16 AM PST by hookman
Second Street in downtown Vincennes remains blocked to traffic today as an investigation into a fire that destroyed the Bergman Building continues.
A cause has not been determined in the fire and officials still aren’t saying where it may have originated. Officials from the Indiana Fire Marshal’s office and the federal Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) are conducting the investigation.
Scott Dillman from the fire marshal’s office said Tuesday that it was too early to determine the cause or origin of the fire that destroyed the entire building and slightly damaged an adjacent home.
"The amount of damage is going to slow us down as far as the investigation goes, but we hope to determine the cause of the fire within the next two days," Dillman said.
The amount of damage done by the fire was due to the fact that the building had two levels, providing ample fuel for the fire, Dillman said.
"Basically, the upper level collapsed into the lower level," he said. "That's why it's so difficult to determine anything yet, since there is no upstairs for us to search through and investigate."
Because the building housed the recruiting offices for the United States military, an ATF investigator will continue with the investigation.
Firefighters have been on the scene since shortly after 9 p.m Monday. They were able to get the blaze under control by 1 a.m. Tuesday and remained throughout the night. Firefighters continue to watch for smoldering fires and falling debris.
City Fire Battalion Chief Sonny Pinkstaff praised the hard work and dedication from the firefighters within the department.
"We have a great bunch of hardworking, professional firefighters here," he said. "Some of these men have been here since 9 p.m. Monday, and they are very tired. But they've all been doing an exemplary job thus far."
The property was released to its owner, Kevin Emmons, Tuesday, according to Vincennes Fire Chief Joe Yochum.
“I imagine their insurance carrier will also send out an orgin/cause investigator, but hopefully it will only take a couple of days before we’ll have a few answers as to how and where the fire started,” he said.
Staff Sgt. Roger Nelms, a recruiter for the U.S. Army, said the military will continue recruiting efforts and are currently working to set up an emergency office.
"People are still shipping out and deploying as usual, and recruiting will continue as well," he said.
Until new office space is located, the military will be operating temporarily out of Purgatory, a downtown coffeehouse.
fire ping
Purgatory, the restaurant in this article, is a decent place to eat. I've eaten there a couple of times. It's kinda Starbuckish, though. Hookman, are you from Vincennes?
yup, I used to be pretty regular there when they first opened. I love the hot chai.
I'm about 20 miles south, on Hwy 41. I work with a guy from Vincennes. He's been telling me about the fire. It sounds pretty bizarre.
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