By Ashley McCarty
Another figure of Manchester’s historically rich Second Street has been claimed by fire.
On Oct. 29, the Manchester Fire Department received a call a little after 12 p.m.
“It said that it was a structure fire, a building on Second Street. The address was 216 Second Street,” said Fire Chief Rick Bowman.
Crews were dispatched shortly after. Bowman said that once on scene, they thought the fire was in the back of the building.
“We sent a crew to the back and an engine, and then we set up in front. The fire was on its way toward the front. We opened up the front and started pushing it back, but it had already gotten up into the upstairs. With tha] old wood, it just took off. It got to be a hot fire there for a little while,” said Bowman.
A ladder from West Union Fire Department and the Ripley Fire Department were also present at the scene. West Union Fire Department’s ladder was stationed in the front, while the Ripley ladder was stationed to the back.
“Mainly what we were doing was protecting the buildings on either side of it. There’s a care center that’s on the west side of it, and there’s a building there on the east side that a gentleman is renovating. Once we saw it had the whole inside — it had pretty much the whole back of the building on fire, it was moving toward the front when we got there, but it had started in the back. We have some suspicions about that, but we’ll have to wait on the Fire Marshal’s Office, it’s still under investigation,” said Bowman.
While on scene, firefighter Lonnie Bilyeu also sustained an injury to his eye, said Bowman.
“He got hit in the face with a hose, [and sustained] an injury [in or] around his eye. He went to the hospital yesterday,” said Bowman.
Bilyeu may have to have surgery, he said.
“When you’re working in close quarters, sometimes high pressure on the line, sometimes it happens. We had three or four lines all working there in the front of the building together. Those things happen,” said Bowman.
According to Bowman, Greg Scott, owner of the building, will have cleanup crews arriving Nov. 2 to clean up the vestiges.
