A fire of unknown origin erupted Monday night in a lean-to addition at the Salvation Army Thrift Shop, 520 Constitution St. Firefighters knocked down the fire before it could spread into the main portions of the brick building.
"It appears the fire was contained to that," Fire Chief Jack Taylor said, as firefighters ventilated smoke from the Thrift Store and worked to keep the fire from re-igniting. "They're removing everything, making sure there's nothing smoldering."
Salvation Army Captain Mark Hazlett was called to the fire even before an employee at an alarm company called him to report that the alarm had been set off. The fire department was dispatched shortly before 9 p.m.
"There's nothing outside that should have ignited," Hazlett said.
Hazlett watched as firefighters pulled insulation from a hole in the second floor of the building, where furniture, clothing, and other items were stored. Donated clothing, soaked with water, lay piled in a heap under the debris of the burned wood.
"Our insurance won't pay for anything except equipment that's purchased -- doors, construction damage, computers, fixtures," Hazlett said. "They won't pay for donated items. The inventory is gone."
Hazlett asked that donations not be made at the store until further notice.
"We've got to know where we're going to go and what we're going to do," he said. "We won't know where to put it now. We won't be able to have a store here for quite a while."
Investigation into the fire is continuing.