Fire in downtown Macomb

These images are of area firefighters fighting the fire that broke out in downtown Macomb, Illinois in the early afternoon of Saturday, 12 August 2000. The sequence begins Saturday afternoon and concludes with the post-fire cleanup Sunday evening. Buildings involved in the blaze were on the southeast corner of the Carroll and Lafayette St. intersection (between the Square and Chandler park). Businesses affected by this blaze include:

• Gemini Hair Salon (demolished)
• Copperfield & Company Booksellers (demolished)
• Tech Pro Computing (demolished)
• Family Eyewear (demolished)
• Damone's Restaurant (demolished)
• Hartmann Photography (demolished August 2001)
• Stitching Post (demolished August 2001)

Several apartments were also destroyed. Among the fire squads responding to the blaze were Macomb, Good Hope, Blandinsville, Emmet-Chalmers, New Salem, Bushnell, Colchester, Carthage, Rushville and Industry.

Update: September 4, 2001. A year, the 2 remaining buildings have just been demolished. The site of the other demolished buildings is clear of debris, level and grass is growing. Business status report:

• Stylists from Gemini have joined other salons
• Copperfield & Company re-opened Sept 5, 2000, at 118 North Side Square
• Family Eyewear's John Malinak operated out of his home for about a year, then opened a new office on the east edge of Macomb, before closing the business in the Fall 2002.
• Hartmann Photography relocated to 119 North Randolph (2nd floor above Century 21 Purdum-Epperson)
• The Stitching Post moved to the north side of the Square.