Thursday morning fire blazes throughout the day in Lincoln

 

[September 06, 2024] 

Thursday, September 5th proved to be a very long day for Lincoln firefighters as well as several other departments coming from around the county, and even as far away as Decatur to battle a fire in the 100 block of South Sangamon Street in downtown Lincoln.

The call was reported to have come in around 8 a.m. that the building owned by Montie Denny was on fire. The fire appeared to have started on the second floor of the building, where there are apartments. On the ground floor, the building housed two businesses owned by Denny, Tactical Bunker and All About Fun Inflatables.

Tactical Bunker had closed a few months ago, and according to a close friend to Denny, much of the inventory had been removed, but not quite all. It was reported that there may have been a few firearms in the building and also some ammunition. As a result, the department of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms had an officer on scene much of the day.

The smoke that came from the building drifted into the downtown area and at some times it was so thick one could hardly see.

The fire was still being drenched with water at noon, but when LDN returned at approximately 4:15 p.m. the fire was finally out. Darren Coffey with the Lincoln Fire Department said that there would be one ladder truck and firefighters assigned to remain on scene throughout the night.

On the other side of the tracks from the fire command post, a large quantity of beverages and food was stacked up ready to serve the firefighters throughout the day. The food, Gatorade and bottled water had been brought to the scene by local businesses, churches and others who wanted to assure that the firefighters had whatever help they could give in staying hydrated and nourished as the day grew long.

At 10 p.m. on Thursday night there was no official report regarding the fire, but it was reported by a televised news source that the fire was under investigation, and that there had been no injuries reported.

[Nila Smith with photos by Karen Castelein, Stephanie Hall, and Smith]