Witnesses say a commercial building in the 2400 block of Airport Road containing McClain's Custom Cabinets and Confessions Boutique was struck by lightning before being engulfed in flames Wednesday evening, the 70 West Fire Department said Thursday.
There were "multiple reports" from witnesses who saw the nearly 13,000-square-foot building hit by lightning, immediately followed by smoke, the fire department said in a news release posted on its Facebook page on Thursday. The release said that a Garland County sheriff's deputy initially reported the fire.
Firefighters were dispatched at around 7:01 p.m. Wednesday, and the first units arrived at the scene within five minutes, reporting that heavy black smoke was showing from all sides of the building with multiple exposures, quickly followed by flames through the roof, the release said. The 70 West main fire station is located on Airport Road a short distance west of the fire scene.
The fire department responded with 23 firefighters, three engines, and one aerial-ladder truck.
Mutual aid was requested and received from Piney Fire Department, which sent one engine and eight personnel; Lake Hamilton Fire Department, which sent one engine and 10 personnel; Bonnerdale Fire Department, which sent one engine and seven personnel; and Mountain Pine Fire Department, which sent one firefighter.
"Crews battled the fire for several hours," and several firefighters were treated at the scene for heat-related illness/injuries, the release said. LifeNet transported one firefighter to CHI St. Vincent Hot Springs for "minor heat exhaustion" and the firefighter, who was not identified, was released the same evening.
Several lanes of Airport Road were closed for the safety of crews and positioning of equipment during the incident, the release said. At one point, as firefighters were still arriving at the scene, only one lane of westbound traffic was open, with eastbound traffic being diverted onto North and South Moore roads.
Arkansas State Police provided traffic and crowd control assistance throughout the evening and into the early morning hours, the release said, and the Garland County Sheriff's Department also assisted with traffic and crowd control.
"A big thank you to all firefighters who worked tirelessly into the early morning hours extinguishing the fire, the other agencies who assisted last night, Bill Ginsburg who provided some heavy equipment assistance, as well as the community members who showed up in full force with ice chests full of water and Gatorade to assist with keeping everyone hydrated," the release said.
"Our thoughts and prayers go out to those families that have been affected by this loss who own and are employed by these businesses that have been in our community for a long time. We sincerely hope they will be able to rebuild soon."
It is the third large commercial fire that 70 West has covered in less than a month. On July 31, a fire destroyed a popular restaurant, Rocky Mountain Grill, at 5812 Airport Road. On Aug. 2, a fire at an automotive shop at 1100 S. Moore Road that reportedly originated in the engine compartment of one of the vehicles being worked on destroyed two vehicles that were inside the shop and caused structural damage to the prefab metal building.
Local on 08/31/2018