SHELBYVILLE, KY. (WDRB) – A faint plume of smoke smoldered among a massive pile of debris one day after a fire scarred historic downtown Shelbyville. Crowds looked on as demolition crews cleared the charred saturated pieces of four buildings that once stood on Main Street.
Arturo Dominguez said, " A lot of the customers last night were crying when they drove by." Dominguez's family owns the Fiesta Mexicana restaurant. Firefighters said the flames ignited early Wednesday morning in the property next door to the restaurant. The family had just purchased it and was in the middle of construction with plans to expand. An exact cause for the fire has not yet been released. Dominguez said the family hopes to rebuild. He said, "This is where we started 12 years ago."
Jimmy Reynolds owns the other three properties that the flames destroyed. They were being used for an alcohol and drug rehab counseling center, a thrift store, and apartments. He said, "It was a lot of emotion watching it all crumble." He said it was 30 years of his life gone in an instant. When asked about rebuilding he said, "I don't think so. We are waiting to see about insurance and how much cleanup will cost." Insurance adjusters snapped pictures Thursday morning.
The demolition is expected to take several more days. A hole will remain where the buildings once stood. Historic District Coordinator Fred Rogers said, "There may be an option for the city to acquire the lots if the owners chose not to rebuild."
It is a small part of a long story about a historic section of an old town and the weeks and months to ahead with tell what to come in the next chapter.
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