AURORA The original 1910 schoolhouse in Aurora subsequently converted to apartment buildings is a total loss after catching fire twice in two days.
Fire departments from around the area originally responded to the building on the corner of Elm and East Pine streets in Aurora around 4 p.m. on Wednesday. The blaze was extinguished after a few hours, but started back up again around midday on Thursday.
No one was injured in either fire. Donations to help the displaced residents are being accepted at the city shop.
According to Aurora Fire Chief Michael Ahartz, a change in wind direction reignited the blaze.
Basically, the wind shifted and started coming out of the south, and what was left of the roof, that was where the main part of the fire had been, the southeast corner, Ahartz said.
The Aurora Fire Department was first on the scene of the second blaze and attempted to enter, but were ultimately rebuffed.
We got there and we sent three people in right away, Ahartz said. But the floor was completely compromised, and after talking to the owner, were just letting it burn itself out.
Ahartz said blazes restarting after a change in wind is not uncommon, especially given the dry, windy conditions.
We see it quite a bit, especially with controlled burns, when the wind hits it just right, he said.
A full complement of area fire departments responded again Thursday before the decision was made to let the fire take its course.
There was still no word Thursday on what started the initial fire Wednesday.
Several residents were inside the building when the original fire alarm went off just before 4 p.m., Assistant Brookings County Sheriff Scott Sebring wrote in a release.
All the residents present were able to safely evacuate.
In an interview with the Register, Sebring said at least six residents were displaced by the blaze and the cause was still under investigation.
When crews arrived, flames were visible from outside the building and it took several hours for the fire to be put down for good.
Responding to the fire were: the Brookings County Sheriffs Office, the Aurora Fire Department, the Brookings Fire Department, the Bruce Fire Department, the Elkton Fire Department, the Sinai Fire Department, the Volga Fire Department, the White Fire Department, Brookings Ambulance, Brookings Count Emergency Management and the South Dakota Highway Patrol.
Citizens are asked to stay away from the building entirely due to the structural damage likely sustained in the fire.
Anyone with any information about the cause of the fire may contact the Brookings County Sheriffs Office at 605-696-8300.
Linehan is the Registers managing editor and welcomes comments at [email protected]
Leave a Reply