
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: MONDAY, October 2, 1995                   TAG: 9510020136
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: C-2   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: LISA K. GARCIA
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

FIRE DAMAGES TOWNE SQUARE SHOE STORE

No one was injured in a fire at The Rack Room shoe store at Towne Square shopping center Sunday evening that resulted in extensive smoke and water damage to not only that store, but also shops on either side.

District Fire Chief Garry R. Basham said an alarm was triggered about 6:30 p.m., and The Rack Room sprinklers began spraying the fire. No one was in the store, which closed at 6.

The cause of the fire is under investigation, but Basham said it started beneath the store's sales counter.

``What helped us was the fire was kept in check by the sprinklers,'' he said.

The sprinklers, however, also made it difficult to get the smoke out of the building. Basham said water makes smoke ``heavy'' and more difficult to handle.

Hobby USA, on one side of The Rack Room, was damaged by water; S&K Famous Brands Inc., on the other side, sustained smoke damage.

Basham gave no estimate of damages.

by CNB