The investigation continues into a fire that erupted Monday night in a lean-to addition at the Salvation Army Thrift Store, 520 Constitution St. Firefighters knocked down the blaze before it could spread to the main portion of the brick building.
“This probably, at least at this point, is going to be conducted locally with our in-house investigators,” Fire Chief Jack Taylor said.
The lean-to, an add-on to the main building, was the dropoff site for clothing, household goods and other donations. The contents of the lean-to were destroyed, and smoke permeated the interior of the main building. The fire had begun to spread to the two-story building adjoining the lean-to and the building’s wooden framing showed signs of charring when daylight came.
Store manager Verna Ashcraft said firefighters told her that another five minutes of unattended fire would have created a different scenario.
“Another five minutes, and they’d have been here all night,” Ashcraft said.
Smoke damage was not as extensive as first believed, she said. The damage to the main building appeared to be minimal, though items in the storage area were damaged by smoke. Much of the inventory was stored in plastic bags, which may have prevented more damage.
“I don’t think we lost a lot inside,” Ashcraft said. “We were lucky.”
Staff members were working this morning to clear away mounds of debris outside and to clear out the interior, while a AAA Glass Service employee replaced broken windows.
“I really think probably we can open tomorrow or the next day,” Ashcraft said. “We’re not going to be able to accept donations for a week or two.”
Salvation Army Capt. Mark Hazlett was called to the fire Monday night even before an employee at an alarm company called him to report that the alarm had been set off. The fire department was dispatched at 8:59 p.m.
“There’s nothing outside that should have ignited,” Hazlett said Monday night at the scene.
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.”
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.”