| These are pictures of one of the largest, in size and dollar loss, fires in recent history of the Mattoon Fire Department. This was a local grocery store. It came in as an automatic alarm around midnight. When firefighters entered the store, employees were still inside with only a smell of smoke in the store. Visibility was clear from one end of the store to the other. As firefighters made their way to the bakery area the smell intensified. Then in seconds the ceiling came down and the room lit up. As firefighters scrambled to the front doors for a hoseline, with their gloves and knees sticking to the floor from the heat, one firefighter suffered minor burns. It was found that there was a 2-3 foot void between the bakery ceiling and the floor of the upstairs. The fire had been burning in this void for quite some time before firefighters arrived. This fire was a total department callback for assistance and also involved mutual aid assistance from three rural fire departments. It resulted in a dollar loss in excess of 6 million. |
