Cairo Association of Teachers - Newsletter

CAT Tracks for October 2, 2007 ANOTHER CAIRO FIRE

Whoever wrote the first story "don't know much about Geography"...at least the geography of Cairo.

Early morning fire destroys Cairo grocery store

By Bridget DiCosmo ~ Southeast Missourian

Cairo, Ill. -- A fire broke out at Gerald Junior and Julian's Inc. Grocery Store and Snack Bar, early Monday morning, making it the eighth blaze in the city since Sept. 8.

A dispatcher at the Cairo police department said the fire was reported around 3 a.m. Monday, though Cairo fire chief, John Meyer, could not be reached Monday for comment.

The windowless stone building on 15th Street in Cairo appeared to have suffered serious interior damage, and piles of burnt debris could be seen in front of the two entrances.

The fire department and state fire Marshal have been investigating seven suspicious fires earlier this month, the first of which occurred Sept. 8, and all of which happened within an eight-day period. Of those fires, one took place at a sports bar, five were houses and one was a car fire.

So far, no injuries have occurred at any of the fires.

Meyer said in a previous interview he couldn't comment on whether accelerants had been used to set the other fires, but remarked that it appeared each one began at a different part of the structure.

Gerald Junior and Julian's Grocery is located between Beyond the Bay Bar and Grill, site of a Sept. 16 fire near Future City, Ill., and the rest of the fires, which occurred within several blocks of one another close to 33rd Street in Cairo.

Fire Damages Grocery Store

By: Arnold Wyrick & Heartland News

CAIRO, Ill. - Another business burned in Cairo Monday morning.

According to investigators, the Gerald and Julians Grocery Store caught fire Monday a little before 4 a.m.

Fire crews have the fire under control, but the neighborhood store is probably a total loss.

The store is in the 700 block of 15th street. A fire department worker says no one that they know of was inside the store and no one was injured during the fire or fighting the fire. Right now no word on a cause for this most recent fire.

In September, there were at least seven suspicious fires. Five homes, one business, and a car all burned. Cairo fire crews fought the eighth fire in less than a month.

The Cairo Fire Department will not say if they believe this latest fire is suspicious.

The owners of the business say they don't think there is any wrongdoing.

"I saw smoke so I ran around the building and the door was on fire. So I ran to a neighbor's crib and asked them if they could call the fire department," said Maurice Purdiman.

Gerald and Lisa Watkins spent a year working on the building, renovating it, stocking the shelves, and cooking the food for their customers.

"We were hoping it wasn't as bad as what it actually is cause we turned the corner down here on the main street. When we turned we could see the smoke and the flames and we knew it was bad," said Lisa Watkins.

Gerald says he doesn't think someone started the fire.

"From what I see in my opinion, it's some wiring maybe or something. I don't thing anybody purposely did it. We've never had any trouble here, never. Nobody throwing bottles, nobody hanging around. People are good out here. These are good people," Gerald Watkins said.

Their neighbors counted on them for more than milk, bread, and eggs.

"Very convenient, especially when you come home from work and school and you don't feel like cooking, you right across to the store right at my front door," Erica Walton said.

"This isn't something I just had to do. This is something we wanted to do for the community. We enjoyed doing," Gerald said.

They do have insurance for the business, but haven't decided it they will rebuild.

"It was a lot of work. We just don't know if we've got it in us again. I don't know. We'll just have to wait and see," Lisa said.

While the structure of the building is still sound, most everthing in the store was destroyed.

Fire Devastates Cairo Grocery Store

By: Jackie McPherson

CAIRO--- Owners are assessing the damage after a fire guts a Cairo store. It happened at Gerald Junior and Julian's Grocery on 15th street.

It's the eighth blaze in the city in just more than a month.

The fire was reported around 3:30 Monday morning. Officials say crews got the flames under control in about two hours, but the business is a total loss.

Burnt items are scattered in front of Gerald Jr. and Julian's grocery. The damage is evident from the outside, but the store's owners-- Gerald and Lisa Watkins-- say it's even worse inside.

"The ceiling fell down. You can wade in the water on the floor" says Lisa Watkins.

Firefighters were called to the scene after receiving a phone call from neighbors.

"I saw flames on top of the building. Then the door fell down, and smoke rushed up and out the door" says Maurice Purdiman, who lives across the street from the grocery.

Cairo fire officials are not saying where or how the blaze started, but they are calling it suspicious. The State Fire Marshal is investigating this incident, along with other recent fires in Cairo.

The Watkins say they don't feel they were targeted.

"We're not looking at it as a malicious act toward us."

The family says they've had a great relationship with folks in this community. They even kept a photo board of local kids in their store.

"The water has ruined the pictures and it's not looking good" says Lisa Watkins.

For now, the Watkins say the future of the grocery is also un-certain. The building was insured, but the family doesn't know if they'll re-open, and that could be troublesome for shoppers in this neighborhood.

"It's going to be an inconvenience for them because they got used to us being here everyday" says Gerald Watkins.