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Rush City business destroyed in Wednesday afternoon fireBy MaryHelen Swanson Four fire departments worked throughout the afternoon and into the evening to extinguish the fire that began shortly after 2:30 p.m. The call came in to the Rush City Fire Department at 2:38 p.m.. When the first firefighter arrived, he could see flames shooting out of the big overhead doors, said RC Fire Chief Bob Carlson. A minute after the first call, the Pine City and Harris fire departments were called in for mutual aid. About 45 minutes later, according to the fire chief, the North Branch Fire Department was also called up. In all, Chief Carlson said, about 50 firefighters were on the scene, including 25 of Rush Cityís 28 firemen. The fire, which started in the shop area of Jerryís Repair, is not suspicious, Carlson said, adding arson has been ruled out. Some explosions were heard after the fire started due to the normal contents of an auto repair business. Employees at the Cenex station directly west of the fire said they heard small ìpopsî after the fire started. While the fire was mostly contained by 5 p.m., firefighters were on the scene until 8 p.m. and helped clean up until about midnight, Carlson said. The fire department also came back to the scene around 2:30 a.m. to make sure the fire remained out. Carlson said he appreciated the cooperation of everyone who responded to the fire including the neighboring fire departments, Rush Cityís public works employees, Lakes Region EMS, sheriffís deputies and East Central Energy. Electricity was turned off for a couple of hours at the site and nearby businesses. One firefighter was treated for heat exhaustion and released, there were no other injuries. Carlson said they used a Class A foam additive to the water which bubbles up and helps the water hold better on materials, such as the tires that were stored in the area above the business which were burning. Rush Cityís new aerial truck has multiple lines for the foam. One of the older trucks in the RC fleet also has a line for the foam additive, the fire chief said. Carlson said some things were saved from the businesses. Trucking firm, CTX, owned by Joe Wegleitner, was housed in the west end of the building. With the help of firefighters, the business owners were able to save some computers and paperwork. Carlson said although the building was a total loss, and fire was a disastrous occurrence, being able to save something was encouraging. There was no cost estimate yet on the loss as of Thursday morning but chief Carlson guessed is would exceed a half a million dollars. ©ECM Post Review |