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Lewis McElhenie and Jerry Thorton noticed smoke coming from the pharmacy as they drank coffee across Main Street at the Village Cafe at 8:20 a.m. They alerted Geneva Gross, an employee at the restaurant, and shecalled the Tekonsha Fire Department “We were sitting here having coffee,” stated McElhenie, “ and 1 saw smoke and told Jerry the pharmacy was on fire.”“I first saw the smoke coming out from under the canopy on the front of the pharmacy,” explained Thorton, “but after two or three minutes you couldn’t tell where it started. Smokepoured out everywhere.Tekonsha firefighters were joined by men and equipment from Marshall, Coldwater, Homer, Burlington, and Union City. Over fifty firemen battled the blaze.Cause of the fire has not beendetermined. “We don’t have any idea how it happened. There's a kitchen in the building. Possibly it could have started there, but I’m just guessing,” speculated Tekonsha fire chief Gale Jenkins. “The building is gutted, destroyed.”Adjoining structures suffered only smoke damage as firefighters prevented the blaze from spreadingATrent’s Sleeper Shop, located next to the pharmacy, and the Tekonsha Branch of Coldwater Southern Michigan National Bank, 117 Main St.. filled with smoke, but there was no fire or water damage.Pharmacist Craig Hopps was getting ready for work when he learned from a telephone call that the pharmacy was burning. “When I got here there were flames coming out of every window. I have no idea how it started It’s tooearly to speculate.”Sherwood was also home when thefire was reported. “I suppose we have a hundred firetraps in there,” he com mented. “It’s just one of those things.” Firemen used oxygen tanks to enter the building and fight the blaze Dozens of hoses were laid across dowtownstreets. By 10:30 a.m. the smoke had dissapated and the fire was completely under control“A report will be ready in a few days,” stated Jenkins “We have to wait for the state fire marshall to come down first.”
Newspaper Details
Marshall Evening Chronicle
Marshall, Michigan, US
Mon, Apr 25, 1977
Page 7
Full Page
Clipped by
Marshall D.
MI, USA 10 Feb 2023
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