Fire Destroys Historic Downtown Building

Oneida, TN (2011-07-07) A five alarm blaze destroyed an historic downtown building in Oneida Thursday night.

“Its one of the worst fires I’ve ever fought,” remarked long-time Oneida firefighter Craig Chambers. Chambers was just one of dozens of firefighters from five departments that spent hours battling a blaze in an historic downtown structure Thursday night. The building, located at 126 S. Main Street (next door to the senior citizens center), proved difficult to suppress, as firefighters spent more than two hours just trying to bring the blaze under control.

An early attempt by firefighters to enter the structure and battle the blaze, which was reportedly concentrated in the ceiling of the structure, was thwarted by heavy smoke, flames and intense heat. “We tried to make entry, but it (the fire) backdrafted on us,” commented Oneida Fire Chief Mike Stringer. Chief Stringer was referring to the phenomena were an oxygen starved fire is suddenly fueled by rapid re-introduction of oxygen, resulting in an explosion. Extreme heat from the smoldering fire, which was being fueled by tar from an old rubberized roof, was reportedly trapped inside the structure by a secondary metal roof system. Once the heat and pressure inside the building reached a flash point, exteriors windows on the front of the structure shattered, resulting in a flash fire and explosion that sent glass and debris flying. Shards of glass littered the street, some landing more than 40 yards from the building.

While several firefighters were close to the building at the time of the explosion, none were injured—a testament to firefighter training. Sensing the building was about to vent, firefighters that had made entry into the structure were retreating at the time of the explosion. Two firemen that were at or near entrances on the front and back of the building were reportedly covered by a wall of fire as it breached the envelope of the structure.

The fire was initially reported around 5:20 p.m. According to Oneida K-9 Officer Floyd Sexton and Patrolman Michael Blaker, who were among the first to arrive on the scene, the only evidence of a fire upon their arrival was light smoke coming from a roof vent. Officers, and other first responders, entered the building looking for any victims, but the apartments were reportedly unoccupied at the time of the fire.

Thick smoke, created by the combustion of the rubber roof on the structure, blanketed the downtown area and nearly eclipsed the late afternoon sun. The plume of smoke rising from the fire could be seen for miles.

The structure, reportedly constructed in 1953, was a typical old-style downtown building, having seen many renovations and additions through the years. In the past, the building had housed a variety of retail businesses, including a barber shop, drug store and a home health agency; however, most recently the structure had been divided into retail space and an apartment complex. While the retail space was vacant at the time of the blaze, all three apartments in the structure were rented. Most of the tenants were not home at the time of the fire, and no injuries were reported.

Firefighters from five departments responded to the call, including Oneida, Huntsville, Mid-County, Pine Hill, and Winfield.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.