One year after downtown blaze, chief Luebke has concerns about other buildings
Firefighters did their homework, but sometimes it just is not enough when it comes to an old building. Twice during the past two decades officials from the Rogers City Fire Department did a walk through of the old Advance building at the corner of Third and Erie. Richard Lamb, current owner and publisher, and served many years as general manager, allowed them to tour the tall wooden structure. Constructed at the end of the 19th Century, it served as Hoeft?s Department Store for the early part of the 20th Century before the weekly newspaper moved into the building in the 1960s. The building pre-dated many fire codes that are required for new building construction today. There were no firewalls between the nearly three-story structure and adjoining business, Big D?s Pizza. There also was nothing in place to stop the fire from traveling from one floor to the next.
MORE THAN 100 years ago, some buildings were of ?Balloon Frame? construction, meaning there was nothing but nails and wood, with not much in between. When officials looked at The Advance building, they knew if a fire were to start it would burn hot and fast, especially with its wide stairwell in the middle of the building and its high ceilings. While the fire, which occurred more than a year ago this week (February 12), did not travel as expected, it still caused a considerable amount of damage.
The first thing that surprised fire chief Tim Luebke was that so much of the building was still standing. He credits the quick actions of nearly a dozen departments and the use of the aerial units from neighboring counties for preventing further damage. Next month, 13 months after the fire downtown, Rogers City will have its own aerial truck, but are there other areas of concern for firefighters? Are there any more buildings of ?Balloon Frame? construction? The answer to both questions is ?Yes!?
WHEN ASKED what building concerns him the most, and with little hesitation, the first building that would make the fire chief?s heart skip a beat, if it caught fire, would be the courthouse. The exact construction date is unknown, but it is believed that the sound of pounding nails may have been heard about the same time it echoed a few blocks away at The Advance building. The old section of the courthouse was built about 20 years after the Civil War. It has seen many different uses over the years, and several different exterior and interior renovations. That alone could pose problems for firefighters. ?You are looking at a big monster,? said Luebke. ?It?s old, it has a lot of wide open spaces; that?s where your fire works the best.? There is a firewall between the 1880s section and the 1970s addition, but not much else to slow it down.
THE THOUGHT of a courthouse fire starting in the middle of the day has crossed the minds of courthouse staff. An unidentified employee is concerned for the well-being of fellow workers if a fire were to occur during a busy weekday. The loss of the courthouse would be immeasurable, but according to county commissioner Bob Schell, records are being preserved on microfilm at another site, especially the information from the Register of Deeds office. Schell, who serves as chairman of the courthouse and grounds committee, also believes most of the records would survive in the vaults, which are closed each night.
Schell said the county board may begin looking at upgrading security and the fire alarm system, much the way the sheriff?s department is receiving improvements. ?I think it is about time we step up and do some maintenance,? said Schell. ?There was a few years ago we looked at replacing the old portion of the courthouse with new construction, but that was turned down by the voters.?
RIGHT ACROSS the roadway from the courthouse is Grulke?s Hardware, another building of ?Balloon Frame? construction. Since the International and Advance fires, it is probably the oldest building in Rogers City. Owner Neil Grulke said there are no records as to the exact date the building was constructed, but he believes it was during the 1880s. The Grulkes have been in the building since 1970. Grulke said there have been electrical wiring upgrades over the years, but even so, there are precautions that are taken that business owners in more modern b
LUEBKE SAID you could go block-by-block to find trouble spots. The size of Richard?s Clothing could pose a problem. Luebke said embers could land on the movie theater, or travel in the other direction. Rogers City Home Furnishings is a fairly large building, while the size of the roof and, almost window les building at Nautical Lanes would make it nearly impossible for fire crews to enter the structure.
They are all unthinkable situations, but it does show that local fire officials have been looking at different scenarios and plans, just in case. Along with doing their homework, firefighters continue to receive training throughout the year. A few days ago, Rogers City fire crews teamed up with Ocqueoc-Bearinger volunteers to hear a three-hour seminar on what would need to be done if a natural gas fire got started. Nobody wants to see a fire in a home or business, but history has proven that nightmarish situations can become reality in a matter of moments. All you have to do is go back 368 days ago to find one of those moments.