Fire destroys Oldtown home
(Photo by KEITH KINNAIRD) An excavator picks apart the ruins of an Oldtown building so firefighters can douse them with water on Tuesday. The building was gutted in a Monday evening fire.
(Photo by TERRY EMORD-WESTOVER/WPOFD) The dwelling, part residence and onetime commercial space, was destroyed by the fire.
(Photo courtesy TERRY EMORD-WESTOVER/WPOFD) Firefighters from the West Pend Oreille and Newport fire districts work to douse a structure fire at the corner of Highway 41 and East Fourth Street South on Monday night.
(Photo courtesy TERRY EMORD-WESTOVER/WPOFD) Smoke billows from the structure.
(Photo by KEITH KINNAIRD) A view of the back of the building. Its signature Quonset hut section is visible on the right.
(Photo by KEITH KINNAIRD) The cause of the fire remained under investigation on Tuesday.
OLDTOWN — Flames swept through the building at the prominent corner of Highway 41 and East Fourth Street South at about 6:30 p.m. on Monday, destroying a residence that also served as commercial space for a variety of uses which included a bar, a church and classic vehicle restoration.
There were no injuries, although a firefighter was treated and released from a local hospital after battling the blaze, according to West Pend Oreille Fire Chief Les Kokanos.
“It was nasty to play with. Big,” Kokanos said.
Firefighters from West Pend Oreille were joined by three districts of firefighters from Pend Oreille County, Wash.
“We needed lots of water,” said Kokanos.
The cause of the fire remained under investigation on Tuesday. An Idaho State Fire Marshal was on the scene as a backhoe picked apart the ruins so firefighters could douse them with water before depositing them in a pile along the highway.
Kokanos said firefighting efforts were hampered when the building collapsed in on itself.
“You couldn’t get at it. When everything caves in, it covers up the fire and everything’s burning underneath,” Kokanos said.
The ruins of the building continued to smolder on Tuesday.
Several classic vehicles, including a Ford Thunderbird and a pickup truck, were removed and spared destruction, according to Kokanos.
Kokanos recalled bartending in the building in his early 20s and said it went on to be come a Mennonite church. It was subsequently acquired by the late Cliff Jones, a former city councilman who operated North Idaho F-100s, which specialized in restoring vintage Ford pickups.
The Oldtown building began with single structures, which were augmented by additions over the years, Kokanos said.
Keith Kinnaird can be reached by email at kkinnaird@bonnercountydailybee.com and follow him on Twitter @KeithDailyBee.