Newspaper Page Text
♦ WEDNESDAY, JUNE 18, 2008
6A
BLAZE
From page lA
Chapman’s CPA office. The
lightning had struck the
three transformers on a util
ity pole which directed the
electricity into the building.
The fire, which was just
minutes old, was one they
would be fighting with every
available resource for the
next five hours and would
not be able to consider fully
extinguished until 10 a.m.
Sunday morning.
It was a fire that could
have taken out half of down
town Perry, and didn’t.
There would be help from
the Warner Robins Fire
Department and the Houston
County Fire Department, but
at the outset, there was Gray
and six firefighters, includ
ing the one who had to man
engine No. 1.
There were enough of
them, but they did have a
plan, because under Gray’s
leadership they had discussed
the possibility of a downtown
fire and already knew what
the risks were, because of
the particular fire risks of
that area.
“We had talked about a
Carroll Street fire before,”
Gray says. “It’s old wood.”
In addition, he explains,
the buildings starting with
Carleton Interiors (which
adjoins the Chapman build
ihg) and going down to the
end of the block, have a com
mon attic - and if the fire
had gotten to the Carleton
building, it would have trav
eled horizontally down the
block.
The plan they already had
was to place a ladder truck
four buildings down from
the building from the fires,
and to determine the extent
of the fire.
Thus one of their first jobs
was having two of the six
firefighters “walk the roof”
with thermal cameras to find
out where the fire was, and
two more going into the front
entry on Carroll street drag
ging a fire hose to try to put
it out from the inside, while
they began aiming water
from the ladder truck at the
wall between Chapman’s and
the adjoining business.
Within minutes they had
also gone into Carleton’s and
Overton’s Jewelry to check
for fire or smoke.
Meantime the Warner
Robins Fire Department was
already, on the road. Gray
says that Deputy Chief Jeff
Onstead heard it on the
scanner and sent a ladder
truck without waiting for a
request.
Within 20 minutes of the
firefighters’ arrival, the fire
that had started in the build
ing on Ball Street “flashed”
- which essentially means
that everything ignited at
once. It burned through to
the adjoining upper level of
the Chapman offices - to
the part of the building that
opens on Carroll Street. The
roof collapsed in the building
where it started.
The fight had escalated.
The question was whether
they could save that side of
Carroll Street.
Perry police were on the
scene with multiple chal
lenges.
“We had people who want
ed to come right up to the
fire, “ Capt. Bill Phelps says,
“and we had to block off
streets all around down
town.”
The fire vehicles had to
get to the scene and be able
to access the hydrants, but
besides that there was real
danger.
“Nobody needs to be
breathing smoke like that
if they aren’t wearing an air
pack,” Gray says.
He wanted the onlookers,
who were gathering into a
big crowd on the grounds
of the old courthouse, to
stay at least a block away.
Eventually, police would
evacuate the whole area.
Joy Goodman, who had a
group of 50 children ready
to give a play performance
for their parents and friends
in the Perry Players build
ing on Main Street, had to
evacuate the whole group,
and says that by that time
the power was off and many
of the children were upset
and ciying.
Fortunately the new Perry
Hotel, which didn’t have
electricity either, offered its
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Shown is some of the street-level damage from the fire in downtown Perry Saturday.
facilities for the children to
have he cast party they had
planned.
According to Perry Public
Service Director George
Potter, the community
response was “fantastic”,
with citizens doing whatever
they could to help, and to
provide support for the fire
fighters.
Jerry Whitney, Potter says,
came with iced drinks and a
chain saw, staying to work
with Potter on boarding up
buildings. Audrey Evans
bought hamburgers out of
her own pocket and then
used her ties with Leta’s to
provide hot dogs and drinks.
Wendy’s also provided ham
burgers, Evans said.
Potter called Davis Cosey
and Jim Sexton about the
problem of having sufficient
fuel for the generators, and
both not only sent trucks
with fuel, but also left their
homes to come to the scene
and help.
It was a long hard fight.
With five hydrants going,
they were pumping 6,000
gallons a minute at the fire
for the first three and a half
hours, and then another
3,000 gallons a minute for
the next two hours.
Snyder Chapman, a life
long resident of Perry, says
his building is a total loss,
but he had nothing but praise
for the firefighters and their
efforts because it did not
spread further.
Chapman said it should be
a “wake-up call to the elect
ed officials and leaders of
Perry” in regard to staffing
and equipment for the fire
department, because while
he was impressed and grate
ful for the support of the
Warner Robins and Houston
County Fire Departments,
he thinks that the city’s fire
department should be self
sufficient if the need arises.
It is worth noting that the
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six firefighters who were first
on the scene had already put
in a full day, responding to
three major accidents, and
with Gray having to coordi
nate and lead the efforts and
the ladder truck driver hav
ing to stay with his vehicle,
there were only four fire
fighters to handle the hose
inside the building and the
roof-walking.
Mayor Jim Worrall had
high praise for all depart
ments of the city for their
teamwork, and also for the
cooperation from the coun
ty and the city of Warner
Robins.
“These firefighters,” he
said, “should be commended
for their continued effort to
become the finest fire depart
ments in Middle Georgia.”
In the end, one building
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was lost. Carleton Interiors
had smoke and water damage
with its inventory of decora
tive pieces ruined. Overton
Jewelers will reopen in a day
or two.
Chapman says he will re
open in Perry, but he’s not
sure yet what’s going to hap
pen with the remains of the
building at the corner of Ball
and Carroll Streets.
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