Hardware landmark ruined

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January 21, 2009

<a href="mailto:avanvalkenburg@pressrepublican.com">By ANDREA VanVALKENBURG</a> The Press Republican Wed Jan 21, 2009, 05:28 PM EST

ELLENBURG — James Dominic was working at his hardware store Tuesday afternoon when the smell of smoke drifted through the landmark store.

He called 911 and fled the building with another employee and some of the upstairs tenants, as Ellenburg Depot firefighters geared up for what would become a six-hour battle to get the raging fire under control.

DIFFICULT FIRE

“There were flames just starting to show through the roof when we got there,” Ellenburg Depot Fire Chief Louis LaValley said from the station Wednesday morning.

“It was a very old building, very dry, so it spread quickly.”

As thick flames consumed Dominics’ Hardware and Supply and the two upstairs apartments, crews from 10 other area departments were called in to help with the firefighting efforts.

By 9:30 p.m., the fire was under control, but a handful of volunteers from the Ellenburg Depot and Ellenburg Center fire departments remained at the large Canaan Road building through the night to monitor sporadic hot spots.

Firefighters were still there Wednesday morning, working to investigate the blaze, make sure the smoldering rubble didn’t rekindle and help get the nearby roadway cleared of debris so it could be reopened for travel.

Fire investigators are still trying to determine what started the blaze, which also left a number of area homes temporarily without power.

LaValley thanked all the volunteers for their efforts during the emergency response, which left one firefighter with a knee injury.

TOTAL LOSS

The devastating fire left four people without a home and Dominic and his wife, Lynn, without their business and place of employment.

“We’re just meeting with insurance agents right now and trying to sort through everything,” Mr. Dominic said somberly from his home late Wednesday morning.

Red Cross officials said they were likely going to meet with the tenants — Michelle Duval and Casey Bougor — Wednesday afternoon to see if they needed assistance as they recover from the fire, which destroyed all of their possessions.

Bystanders drifted toward the charred and heaping ruins Wednesday, shocked by the devastation and loss of one of the town’s oldest businesses, which was one of only two supply stores in the community.

The Dominics have been operating the family-owned hardware store for almost three years and were two of the store’s three full-time employees.

It was unclear Wednesday whether they plan to rebuild.

E-mail Andrea VanValkenburg at:

avanvalkenburg@pressrepublican.com