<img src="http://www.joplinglobeonline.com/images/zope/extra.gif" border=0>Fire destroys Joplin tire business<font color="#ff0000"> w/ fire slide show</font>

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November 24, 2009

Anonymous The Joplin Globe Tue Nov 24, 2009, 11:11 PM CST

By Debby Woodin and T. Rob Brown

news@joplinglobe.com

Looking at the charred remains of his livelihood Tuesday morning, William Christy’s thoughts were focused as much on those who depend on him to make a living as himself.

An early morning fire destroyed the business he co-owns, Reeves Tire & Automotive, 806 E. Seventh St. Amid the devastation, though, Christy counted his blessings.

“Thankfully, we live in a community like Joplin,” he said. “We’ve had lots of people call with support. If you lived in a big city, you’d be just another number. Our bank representative came by to bring us coats and jackets. He asked if there was anything we needed, and we asked for checks. Our employees need to get paid — especially with the holidays approaching. Our checkbook’s in there somewhere.”

The intense blaze prompted the city’s public safety and utility crews to roll out shortly after 4 a.m.

A Missouri Division of Fire Safety investigator was called to look through the debris and try to find the fire’s cause, which was still uncertain late Tuesday afternoon.

Joplin called in assistance from the Duenweg and Redings Mill fire departments to confine the flames as soon as possible because there were two acetylene tanks in the back of the building.

One of the obstacles to fighting the fire was that “the fire hydrants were not very close to the building,” said Keith Stammer, Joplin Fire Department spokesman. “Between Joplin, Duenweg and Redings Mill, they laid about 5,000 feet of hose. Not the small-diameter hose but the 4-inch and 5-inch hose” to pour as much water as possible to stop the blaze from reaching the acetylene tanks.

Stammer said the severity of the fire warranted the heavy response.

“When you realize you have explosives, you want to make a good stop on it,” he said. He did not know how long it took to put the fire out because a department report had not yet been closed out Tuesday afternoon.

Hydrocarbons from burning tires also posed a potential danger, but firefighters used air tanks, and blustery winds blew the smoke away from neighbors, Stammer said.

“By the time people were up and around,” he said, “the fire had died down enough we were just dealing with the steam.”

Police rerouted traffic off busy East Seventh Street for most of the day because of the fire and the cleanup effort. The street was closed from Kentucky Avenue to Illinois Avenue during the day while a utility crew worked on electric poles, according to Nathan Turner, city engineer.

Emily Stanley, a spokeswoman for Empire District Electric Co., said a utility pole that was too damaged to be safe was replaced. Electricity for a limited number of customers was off line in the area of the pole while repairs were made, she said.

Firefighters who were dispatched at 4:18 a.m. found heavy smoke with flames coming from the back of a display at the business. Within minutes, an overhead door collapsed, allowing air to fuel the size of the blaze.

“I got the call around 4:30 this morning,” Christy said. “I got here as quick as I could. I came down St. Louis. I got to Broadway and I could see the black smoke. I wasn’t expecting it to be in shambles,” he said of the building where he and his brother-in-law and business partner, Michael Brownfield, sold tires and wheels, and did automotive repairs.

Christy and his wife worked there with Brownfield, and they have eight employees. “It’s affecting my life, their life, and their families,” Christy said. “We’ll just go on as normal with the holidays and try to keep things as normal as we can. We have all our family around here, so (we have) plenty of support.”

And, he said he will see to the support of his employees.

“We want to make sure our employees are taken care of,” he said. “With a family business, our employees are part of our family.”

Christy also was grateful to the firefighters, police and utility workers who answered the call. “It gives you a new respect for what they do,” he said after surveying the scene.

His business is insured, Christy said.

“We’ll probably bulldoze and rebuild,” he said.

Response

Altogether, 28 firefighters battled the blaze. Joplin sent five trucks, and Duenweg and Redings Mill each sent one truck.