IT IS NOW 11:30 A.M.
KMAQ WENT ON-THE-AIR SHORTLY AFTER 9:30 A.M. AFTER POWER WAS RESTORED ON OUR SIDE OF THE BLOCK.
THE VOY THEATRE IS STILL WITHOUT POWER AND THE TEMPERATURE HAS DROPPED DOWN TO THE 40'S. IT IS STIL BELOW ZERO IN MAQUOKETA, WITH A NORTH WIND ABOUT 8-10 MILES PER HOUR. SO, THE THEATRE WILL NOT BE OPEN THIS AFTERNOON OR THIS EVENING. HOPEFULLY, ELECTRICITY WILL BE BACK ON TODAY SOMETIME AND THE THEATRE WILL BE OPEN TOMORROW AFTERNOON AND EVENING.
16 FIRE DEPARTMENS ARE ON THE SCENE AND AROUND 50 FIRE VEHICLES ARE EVERYWHERE. MOTORISTS ARE REMINDED TO STAY AWAY FROM THE DOWNTOWN CORE OF THE CITY. THE FAREWAY STORE, OSTERHAUS PHARMACY, AND SOME RESTAURANTS ARE OPEN. FOR FAREWAY AND OSTERHAUS PHARMACY, PARK AS CLOSE TO STORES AS YOU CAN GET AND WALK IN THE BACK DOOR. CAREFUL OF THE ICE AS THERE IS ICE ALL OVER FROM THE FIRE HOSES.
TWO FIREMEN SLIPPED ON THE ICE AND HAD TO BE TREATED AT THE HOSPITAL.
THE FIRE IS NOT OUT, BUT HOPEFULLY IS UNDER CONTROL. THEY ARE STILL SOAKING DOWN THE SMILES ON MAIN DENTAL CLINIC LARGE BUILDING THAT HOUSES FOUR BUSINESSES. BRICKS AND DEBRIS FROM THE HALLMARK STORE FELL ON THE DENTAL BUILDING, CAUSING A 30-FOOT WIDE GAP IN THE ROOF. SHERI MELVOLD JUST CAME IN TO MY OFFICE TO SAY THAT FIREMEN JUST A FEW MINUTES AGO, WENT INTO THE BUILDING TO TAKE A LOOK, AND FOUND NO FLAMES. BUT, NO WORD YET ON WHAT DAMAGE IT HAS SUFFERED FROM WATER AND SMOKE. THE SUE'S HALLMARK STORE IS BEYOND REPAIR. THE TOP FLOOR IS COMPLETLY GONE. TO THE SOUTH OF IT, BREITBACH'S FLOOR COVERING BUILDING AND THE JACKSON COUNTY HOME FURNISHINGS BUILDING, ARE BOTH EXTENSIVELY DAMAGED. AND THE LAST BUILDING TO GO INTO FLAMES IS THE ONE ON THE CORNER THAT WAS TO BE THE NEW PICKLE BARREL SUBS RESTAURANT. SMOKE WAS STILL POURING FROM IT AROUND A HALF-HOUR AGO. THE RED CROSS IS IN TOWN AND THEY INFORMED KMAQ THAT A LOT OF FOOD WAS BROUGHT TO THE COMMUNITY CENTER FOR FIREMEN AND THAT THEY NEED NO MORE. SUE, OWNER OF SUE'S HALLMARK SAID SHE STARTED HER STORE IN THE BUILDING IN 1980, PURCHASED IT IN 1985 AND REMODLED IT IN THE LATE 80'S WHEN MAQUOKETA HAD A MAIN STREET PROGRAM. SHE TOLD KMAQ NEWS THIS MORNING THAT SHE HAS NO IDEA WHAT SHE WILL DO WITH THE BUSINESS. THE BUILDING WAS ONE OF THE FIRST MAQUOKETA BUILDINGS TO BE REGISTERED AS A HISTORIC BUILDING. IT IS IRONIC THAT THE MAQUOKETA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE LAST YEAR ESTABLISHED A DOWNTOWN COMMITTEE TO REVITALIZE MAIN STREET. THERE ARE SEVERAL VACANT STOREFRONTS DOWNTOWN AND NOW THIS FIRE WILL ADD TO THE
NEED FOR IDEAS AND ACTION. BUT, REBUILDING TAKES TIME. THE RAILROAD DEPOT FIRE WAS A COUPLE YEARS AGO AND THE BURNED-OUT STRUCTURE STILL STANDS ON EAST PLATT STREET. JUST HEARD THAT ANOTHER FIREMAN WAS TAKEN TO THE HOSPITAL JUST A FEW MINUTES AGO. THAT IS IT FOR NOW. I'LL HAVE ANOTHER UPDATE SOMETIME THIS AFTERNOON.
DENNIS VOY