Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, March 27, 1992 TAG: 9203270328
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: By KATHY LOAN NEW RIVER VALLEY BUREAU
DATELINE: CHRISTIANSBURG LENGTH: Medium
And owner Joe Stewart and his family were still on the scene, watching the fire burn itself out, talking with insurance representatives and making polite small talk with people who dropped by to offer the condolences on the loss.
Stewart is no stranger to losing livestock markets to fires. In 1988, half of his Roanoke Livestock Market was destroyed by fire. And there have been smaller fires at the Christiansburg market, he said.
Stewart, a member of the Montgomery County Board of Supervisors, believes the fire was deliberately set. His daughter, Julia Milton, shares that belief. Stewart had advertised a large cattle auction at the market for Thursday. He said he believes those plans figured into why the building was burned.
"It was burning all over when I got here," Stewart said. He said he was called about 5 a.m. but believes the fire started a few hours earlier.
Milton said there was no livestock inside the market, but a guard dog and some chickens were missing.
Christiansburg Fire Chief Jim Epperly said people began reporting the fire about 4:40 a.m. More than 20 firefighters responded, but the 60-year-old wooden building completely burned in about 30 minutes.
Epperly said there was "no question" the fire was suspicious, given the quick way it spread through the open building. Investigators may be able to determine where the fire started by today, he said. Epperly promised a vigorous effort at finding out how the fire was started. "We won't let it go to sleep, you can bet the farm on that," he said.
V.A. Fleeman had arrived about 8 a.m. to set up his produce stand to coincide with the big sale. He decided to stay, despite the fire.
"I hate it. It made me real sick because I liked here and they're nice people," Fleeman said as a woman examined the apples he had for sale. "I hate this happened and I'm hoping they build back real quick."
Fleeman said he's been coming to livestock sales for five or six years.
Milton worked at the market as a ticket writer. When she heard about the fire, she said she thought maybe people were overexaggerating the damage.
Still, she dreaded what she would see when she arrived.
"Nobody exaggerated," she said.
Milton said her father had owned the livestock market since 1947, but had been involved with it before then.
Throughout the day, people expecting to sell cattle kept arriving, Milton said.
She recalled hearing stories of big sales that started one day and continued into another. And just as the market was a part of her childhood, Milton brought her own children there often.
Her 5-year-old just has his birthday party there.
"He loves it here," she said. "It's got a colorful past."
by CNB