| Early-Morning Fire Guts
Historic Hotel, Two Other Buildings Posted 2007-03-27
Second Blaze In A Year Hits Downtown Shenandoah
Firefighters battle the blaze that swept through three
buildings on First Street in Shenandoah early Tuesday
morning.
SHENANDOAH — A fire swept through First Street
in Shenandoah early Tuesday morning, destroying three
buildings including the historic Eagle Hotel, officials
say. Five families were displaced, but no injuries
were reported, fire officials say.
als and firefighters say they’re
relieved no one was hurt in the blaze — the
second major fire to hit First Street in the past
year.
“It’s hard to say which one was bigger
than the other,” Assistant Chief Ian Rudolph
of the Shenandoah Volunteer Fire Company said, comparing
Tuesday’s fire to the one in May. “Both
were very big and bad days for Shenandoah.”
Firefighters responded to the Tuesday call at about
2:20 a.m. and saw fire burning in three buildings
on the 500 block of First Street.
About 80 volunteers with 15 trucks responded, Rudolph
said. They fought it for about two hours, concentrating
on keeping the fire from spreading to nearby buildings,
he said.
Still, the heat melted siding off of a nearby home,
as well as signs and windows on a building across
the street.
Lt. C.S. Cook of the Page County Sheriff’s
Office said authorities don’t know the fire’s
cause and that intense heat and the amount of rubble
to sift through could prolong the investigation for
several days.
Bomb and arson investigators with Virginia State
Police will assist the sheriff’s office with
the investigation, Cook said. Their presence only
ensures that investigators have the expertise they
need — not that the fire was necessarily deliberately
set, he said.
“At this point, [the cause] is totally undetermined,”
Cook said.
After reviewing the burned-out buildings, Cook did
say he suspects the fire began in the Eagle Hotel.
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