North Market Street businesses today are attempting to recover from Tuesday’s $500,000 blaze which destroyed three businesses and interrupted operations of five others. Gene Kimmel of Kimmel Auto Supply, 201 N. Market, has recovered his safe from the burned remains but has not yet opened it for fear of enclosed heat, his wife said today.
Kimmel’s today is operating from its warehouse at 119 E. Calvert. Some 15 persons were employed at the Kimmel store. No employees formerly worked out of the warehouse on Calvert Street. About six employees will be out of work until offices and a machine shop are set up at the new location. Kimmel estimated his loss alone at some $500,000 to $1 million. The warehouse services about five stores throughout Southern Illinois.
Two apartments above Sorgen’s Studios, 207 N. Market, were destroyed as occupants fled. Sorgen’s store was heavily damaged by smoke and water. Carl Sorgen managed to remove his records and some merchandise. Sorgen today has secured temporary facilities at the former Zach Hudson building one door north of the Gem Café.
Lee Crouse of Crouse Jewelers, 205 N. Market said he has no plans at present for reopening. He lost everything in the blaze including his records, he said. He hopes to recover records from a safe in the rubble today. General Telephone Co. has leased temporary quarters in the Ordill area for its Southern Division offices. All the businesses and apartments on the block were vacated during the fire.
Montgomery Ward & Co., 219 N. Market is open for business as usual. Officials said the store received no water or smoke damage. ABC Liquor Store also is open as usual. Manager Don Rodgers said there was considerable water and smoke in the building but that damage to stock was mainly limited to the basement. No estimate of damage is presently available. Spires Shop, women apparel, 215 N. Market, was closed today pending a conference with insurance adjusters. Mrs. Gene Spires said there was no water damage.
Fire Chief James Dungey today estimated the fire loss at $500,000. Some 500,000 gallons of water was used on the fire. This is almost half a day’s supply of water for entire Marion. Volunteer firemen were: John Tonner, John Barnwell, Robert Norman, Mike Wiseman, and Bob Whiting.
While firemen were still concerned with the downtown fire, Tuesday two grass fires broke out in Marion. One was at 11:20 pm at 603 N. Johnson. It was out on arrival. The other was at 5:44 pm at John Neely apartments where grass around a barrel caught fire. Spectators were considerably fewer in numbers than at the May 5 fire on the Public Square. Reasons given probably were the fact that it was about 17 degrees weather and it was during daylight hours when most people are either working or are in school.
Water was poured on the fire periodically throughout the night with Civil Defense and Marion police guarding against looting. About 250 feet of fire hose was lost in the fire either by breakage or in the falling wall. Heavy equipment Tuesday afternoon and today knocked down ruined walls and cleared Market and Union Streets of fallen brick and other rubble.
Union Street between Market and Franklin by noon today was blocked off. Market was open. Fire Chief Dungey said that if he could have had adequate water he believed he could have saved Sorgen’s “but no amount of water could have saved Kimmel’s.” The shortage of manpower to make the initial call was also a hampering factor.
(Extracted from local newspapers and compiled by Harry Boyd, posted at http://www.marionfire.us )