STATESVILLE, N.C. — A massive fire caused damage to multiple buildings in downtown Statesville early Tuesday morning.
The fire was initially spotted by firefighters, who were responding to a separate call and noticed smoke coming from the downtown area. Once they arrived at the corner of West Broad Street and South Center Street after 2 a.m., they saw flames and heavy smoke coming from the buildings.
Fire crews from Hickory, Mooresville, Statesville and Troutman responded to the fire, as well as volunteer units from across Iredell County. All off-duty Statesville firefighters were ordered to report for duty to help contain the fire.
Officials say no one was hurt, and no one was inside the buildings at the time of the fire. Firefighters were able to get the fire under control by 5:30 a.m.
A witness said up to six buildings were damaged by the fire. Fire officials haven't explained what caused the fire at this time.
“These buildings are landmarks,” Statesville resident Mary Jane Bass said. “It's really devastating for Statesville.”
GG's Art Frames Gifts, Merrill Lynch, and Theatre Statesville were damaged in the fire. The flames caused heavy damage to the buildings, including smoke, and water damage, and also affected neighboring buildings with smoke and water damage.
“It's a little bit overwhelming, we have a big store and a lot of damage," Gloria Hager, owner of GG's Art Frames Gifts, said. "The artwork is what I’m concerned about right now till I can get in the building; I hope we can salvage the custom stuff we have.”
"I didn’t think it’d be this bad, I thought it was just one building, but it looks like half a dozen businesses and that’s the sad part,” Statesville resident, Gary Sheehan said.
The community came together Tuesday, offering support to the business owners. Also, downtown businesses offered Gatorade for fire crews and free coffee and donuts to anyone who stopped by.
“We feel for them, being a downtown business, because this a second home for a lot of these business owners,” Andrea Coelho, owner of Andrea's Ice Cream and Sweet Shop, said.
American Renaissance School was closed Tuesday to reduce traffic in the area, executive director Jim Duffey told WCNC Charlotte. The school was not impacted by the fire, Duffey said.
“The one thing I know about Statesville is it's built with resiliency," Sheehan said. “They’re going to rebuild and it's going to be better than it ever was.”
Theatre Statesville has created a GoFundMe.
This investigation is active and ongoing.
On Thursday, the city of Statesville announced that temporary fencing had been set up from South Center Street to West Broad Street and across the alley behind buildings on Court Street. "No Trespassing" signs are up, and any unauthorized person caught behind the fence will be charged with trespassing.
Pedestrians will need to use sidewalks on the opposite side of the street as a detour. Additionally, drivers will need to adjust to a new traffic pattern starting Friday, April 28. A section of West Broad Street spanning from Center Street to Meeting Street will be temporarily shifted to only allow one-way traffic in the westbound direction.
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