Commercial fire on Hwy. 51 one of largest in recent years

Batesville firefighters continued to monitor a commercial building fire Wednesday afternoon, almost 20 hours after the blazes were first reported.

The block building was used as a warehouse for a local rental business. Fire Dept. officials will release a report later with more information about what may have caused the fire. Fire Chief Tim Taylor said the fire was toned at 6:56 p.m. and the first truck arrived on the scene four minutes later. About 25 fire personnel were on the scene at the height of the battle to save nearby buildings.

The department used several pieces apparatus, including light towers, command vehicles, multiple trucks with pumpers and the ladder truck and boom capable of fighting fires from above.

Taylor said the last truck left the scene at 4:30 a.m. Tuesday before returning after daybreak to spray more water and begin the investigation into what caused the blaze. The chief said thick smoke was pouring from the back of the structure on arrival.

Heavy equipment from the Public Works Dept. was used to move pieces of tin and other metal that was preventing firefighters from reaching the source of the fire. Taylor said the tin roof and some walls trapped the fire and created a super hot condition that kept the first responders from entering the structure or being able to approach the central burn area.

As word of the fire spread late Tuesday afternoon, Hwy. 51S became a virtual parking lot as motorists stopped to watch firefighters work to contain the spread. The building, once the headquarters of Custom Sign Company, was easily recognizable to locals because of its unique facade with impressive pillars.

Many compared Tuesday’s fire to others remembered by longtime residents including the blazes that claimed the Southside Motors car dealership, the school district bus repair shop, the popular dairy bar The Frost Top, and the horse and cattle show barn that once stood where the Costa restaurant is now located.

A Batesville resident who happened to be in the Curtis community about the time the thick smoke billowed from the building reported he could see the plume of black from that area.

Firefighters stayed on the scene throughout the night and into the Wednesday morning. By the afternoon the department had a high pressure hose trained on the smoldering debris and continued to pump water on the remains of the building.

Photos provided by Kendall Bowlin and Glennie Pou

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