Fire destroys apartment house,
damages two other apartment buildings and business      

[MAY 9, 2005]  Firefighters worked feverishly to contain a blaze that began in a large apartment house in the middle of the 100 block of South Logan Street. The fire was well advanced when the fire department was called and arrived on the scene shortly before 7 p.m. Saturday night. The blaze spread to the next two apartment houses. The first dwelling was destroyed, the next had heavy smoke and water damage, and the third, nearest the Pulaski Street corner, had damage to the attic.

Photos from fire scene

Lincoln City Fire Chief Bucky Washam said he was pleased with how things went. “We had a good response and with luck managed to execute a stop of the fire spreading from one building to another,” he said. The scene was cleared at 2 a.m.

There were no occupant or firefighter injuries.

The Salvation Army and the Red Cross assisted a number of families that lived in the apartments. Some have been put up in the Lincoln Motel and the Country Inn. An accurate count of the residents living in the dwellings was unavailable. Some people were out of town for the day.

Fire departments from Atlanta, Middletown, Elkhart, Mount Pulaski and Lincoln Rural responded. “I appreciate all the surrounding fire departments showing up to help,” Chief Washam said. Some brought pumpers and tankers and that helped out a lot.

Superficial smoke damage affected the Fastenal building. There were firefighters paying close attention to protecting it, the chief said. They did a great job.

ESDA, Lincoln Police Department, Logan County Sheriff's Department and Auxiliary, and the Logan County Paramedic Association also assisted.

No cause has been determined. Two inspectors are investigating the No. 1 site, the home next to the Fastenal building, today.

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