The Webster Progress-Times

The cause and exact origin of last week's fire in downtown Eupora remains under investigation, officials said earlier this week.

The Oct. 4 fire on the east side of North Dunn destroyed the building owned by the Rev. Lee Bruner that housed Tower Loan and, in a separate partition, the now-vacant Upper Cut Designs; plus the Beaird's Refrigeration Service & Supply building owned by Jerry Beaird.

Fire Chief Jerry Gary had not heard from the state fire marshal's office as of Tuesday, but he said the initial investigation pointed to the fact that the fire started somewhere "up high" in Bruner's building.

Deputy fire marshals and federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms agents from Oxford were on the scene last Thursday as part of the investigation. The fire marshal's office automatically calls in the BATF to assist in the investigation of commercial building fires because of the resources it has to assist, said Gary.

Tower Loan employees reported the fire at 1:46 p.m. Gary stated that he saw light smoke coming from the building upon initial arrival, but after going and returning from the fire station to retrieve the department's pumper truck, the smoke had thickened significantly and flames were visible at the rear of the building.

When other firefighters arrived, Gary said one team started to attack the blaze from the front and another went in the alley behind the buildings. However, the second team could not attack the fire from the rear because they would be pushing it toward those firefighters in the front, he explained.

At that point, Gary said they had to go in a defensive mode to protect the surrounding structures. The Starkville Fire Department, which was among nearly 20 other departments assisting, brought in its ladder truck and multiple firefighters. Gary said the ladder engine proved instrumental in helping prevent the fire from spreading further because of the amount of water that it could pump.

Gary pointed out the difficulty of spraying water on the fire because the Bruner building had a suspended ceiling beneath the attic and a new metal roof above the original tar roof, which he said contributed to its intensity. Firefighters then focused on spraying water on the other buildings to protect them.

At about the same time the Bruner building roof later fell in, Gary said the firewall between it and Beaird's collapsed, spreading the fire to that structure and gutting it. He said the firefighters had enough water to keep the fire from spreading elsewhere.

Gary said firefighters had the fire in the Beaird's building under control between 5:30 and 6 p.m. Two crews of four men each stayed on the scene four hours each until the next morning to watch for hot spots that could reignite flames. Firefighters returned twice last Thursday to extinguish a couch that caught back up and some smoldering paper.

None of the building occupants were injured but Gary said two Eupora firefighters who were taken to the hospital emergency room to be given fluids for dehydration were treated and released.

"We're certainly pleased that no one was injured in one of the biggest fires in the history of downtown Eupora," he said.

The BLY Fine Arts Center, which is adjacent to the Bruner building on the north side and whose renovation is nearing completion, received no major damage. Mississippi HomeCare of Eupora, which is on the south side of Beaird's, received some damage to the parapet roof between the two buildings, mostly from water pressure, according to building owner Belinda Stewart. She said a structural engineer has looked at the building and found it to be safe.

The home health agency has temporarily relocated to its Bruce office at 117 N. Pontotoc. Tower Loan is temporarily sharing office space with A&A Bail Bonds at 111 E. Roane Ave. Jerry Beaird said he did not yet know what he was going to do about his business. His wife, Cathy, thanked Steve Wells, Eupora's assistant fire chief, for saving the POW/MIA flag inside the building's storefront and giving it to the mayor for safekeeping. She also said the Beairds were thankful no lives were lost and that no one was injured during the fire.

Bruner said he and his wife, Dorothy, are praying about what they will do after completion of the investigation and cleanup. They expressed thanks to the various fire departments for their efforts to save their building, that minimal damage was done to the other buildings and that no one was hurt.

Bruner also said they regretted that crimes were committed while police were busy providing traffic control during the fire. A burglary at Colonial Apartments was reported that afternoon and an auto burglary occurred that evening by First United Methodist Church (see related story in this issue).

Firefighters from 17 departments in five counties responded to assist Eupora. These were Ackerman, Bellefontaine, Bywy, Calhoun City, Chester, Clarkson, Cumberland, Kilmichael, Maben, Mathiston, Poplar Creek, Starkville, Stewart, Tomnolen, Vardaman, Walthall and Winona. At one time, 23 firefighting vehicles were reported to be on the scene.

Gary expressed appreciation for the help that area firefighters provided and for the outpouring of support from the community while they were battling the blaze. Businesses and individuals donated water, cold drinks and refreshments.

Although not an all-inclusive list, those reported to have assisted the firefighters in this way included Frances Hyde, who brought a large basket of sandwiches and a cooler of drinks to them; Mitchell's Restaurant, which sent hamburgers; Central Service Grill and SuperValu.

Townspeople also assisted Juanita King of Remember When Portrait Studios, which was a few buildings down from the fire, evacuate equipment and materials, and put everything back later.

Gary encouraged all businesses and residences to have a smoke detector if they do not already and to change the batteries twice a year.

Also last week, a fire destroyed the Mike Cooper home on Alva Road, according to unofficial reports. The fire occurred the night of Oct. 5 when no one was home and started back up Friday. Tomnolen and Bellefontaine volunteers responded; additional details were unavailable.