The Pantagraph, Bloomington, Ill.
(TNS)
Sep. 5—LINCOLN — Crews from multiple agencies are at the scene of a fire in downtown Lincoln.
The fire appeared to cause heavy damage to About Fun Inflatables, 129 S. Sangamon St., and Tactical Bunker, 127 S. Sangamon St., as well as apartments above those businesses.
Bystanders said the fire started around 8 a.m. By about 1:45 p.m., Lincoln Fire Chief Aaron Johnson said he wouldn't quite call the fire under control, but crews have been able to go from using five hoses to only one.
Roadways remain blocked on Sangamon Street from Decatur Street to Broadway, and on Logan Street from Broadway to Pulaski.
Johnson said all building occupants were evacuated and that none of them were injured. He added that one firefighter was taken to a hospital for observation, but has since been released. He did not know yet how many people lived in the building.
In addition to the Lincoln Fire Department and Lincoln Fire Protection District, emergency vehicles could be seen from departments in Atlanta, Armington, Decatur, Elkhart, Emden, Hartsburg, Hickory Point, Latham, Middletown, Mount Pulaski, New Holland, Sherman and Warrensburg, as well as the Logan County Emergency Management Agency, Springfield Emergency Disaster, Logan County Paramedics Association and the Sangamon County Rescue Squad.
Josh Glazik, 30, lives in one of the affected apartments and made the 911 call this morning.
"Took my kids to school this morning, came back, sat down, and I smelled smoke," he said. "I opened the front door and you couldn't even see through the hallway. I called 911, got my stuff and got out of there."
Glazik said he lives in the building with his four children, ages 4 to 11.
"I'm just glad it wasn't in the middle of the night," he said, adding, "It is what it is. I'm glad everyone's OK."
Ami Cleveland, 30, owns the Ami-Gos' World restaurant at 124 S. Chicago St., across the railroad tracks from the fire.
"It's scary with it being so close, because we literally bought this place because we had a fire at our first establishment and lost everything," she said.
"It's triggering, to say the least," she said, while adding she is confident that the community will support those displaced by the fire.
"I know that they'll pull together. This community is awesome, especially in times like this," she said.
Local business owners have already taken action to help those affected by the fire: The Lincoln IGA store has donated about 20 cases of water for firefighters and others working the scene, and Casey's has donated pizzas.
Corey Sutton, IGA manager for 33 years, said it was a no-brainer to donate, because when his store had a fire a couple of years ago, everyone helped them out.
"That's the town of Lincoln. They just come together," he said.
Lincoln Mayor Tracy Welch was also at the scene Thursday, and said he is thankful to the other fire departments that have responded with ladder trucks, tankers and crews to help battle the fire.
"Based on what I've been told, this could have been much worse without that support," he said. "I'm thankful to the surrounding communities that have provided a lot of support."
He said the condition of buildings in downtown Lincoln is something the city has been working to address.
"These are very old buildings down here ... that haven't received as much attention as they probably deserved over the years. But Lincoln is working with building owners to update and make them more safe," he said.
He added, "Buildings can be replaced, people, that's a different story."
Rachel Oney with The Salvation Army Emergency Disaster Services North and Central Illinois Division was downtown with snacks, sandwiches and cold drinks for volunteers and emergency responders. She said the agency is providing hotel rooms for those displaced by the fire.
For those wanting to assist in their efforts, Oney said cash donations to the Lincoln Life Center would be most helpful. Donations can be made online at centralusa.salvationarmy.org/360lifecenters/lincoln. The Life Center can also be reached at 217-732-7890 or at 309 N. Kickapoo St.
Jayce Eustice, regional communications manager at the American Red Cross of Illinois, said volunteers have been sent to Lincoln to provide assistance to residents and address their immediate needs.
"We have been in contact with one individual who has been involved in the fire and assessing their immediate needs at this time as well," Eustice said.
Eustice said they are not yet sure how many individuals or units have been affected
Those who have been affected and have not yet been helped are encouraged to call the Red Cross at 1-800- RED-CROSS (1-800-733-2767).
"We'll get them in contact with our volunteers down there and get them what they need," Eustice added.
This is a developing story that will be updated.
Contact D. Jack Alkire at (309)820-3275.
Twitter: @d_jack_alkire
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