Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, July 16, 1994 TAG: 9407180141
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By DIANE STRUZZI STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Shortly after 1 a.m., CMC Supply Inc. was ravaged by fire, which caused an estimated $1.5 million to $3 million in damage. The intense heat bent the steel structure and melted the metal shingles in the rear of the building at 2550 Shenandoah Ave. N.W.
The fire blazed for six hours, as pressurized air tanks burst from a side wall and shook the neighborhood. The tanks became like "bombs," said Andy Roberts, who manages the building.
By 7 a.m., firefighters had extinguished the fire and were wetting down the embers.
The fire remains under investigation, said Fire Chief Garry R. Basham. No one was working in the building when the fire started, and there were no injuries, but two firefighters were treated at the scene for heat exhaustion.
About a dozen firefighters first went inside the building, called a "direct attack" on the fire, Basham said. But the extreme heat, and the possibility that the building could collapse, forced them to retreat.
From there, they directed water at the warehouse, where the fire is thought to have started. That strategy succeeded in keeping the fire from damaging the front office.
The fire was just the latest disaster for CMC owners Wayne Cook and Steve Chisholm, who have a similar company in Macon, Ga. Floodwaters from a recent tropical storm have been lapping at the doors of their Georgia office, cutting off communication and power, Cook said.
Taking it all in, Cook took a deep breath and said, "It seems unreal."
But the owners lost no time finding a place to reopen their business. Cook and Chisholm, along with their 45 employees, will be back at work Monday at 2480 Patterson Ave. S.W.
by CNB