UPDATE: Woodmere fire damages estimated at $1.2M
Feb. 16—A fire that left two businesses heavily damaged Monday evening is believed to be the result of arson, Crossville Fire Department Chief Chris South told the Chronicle Tuesday.
The fire at local shopping center Woodmere Mall originated in the basement of Blush Salon, 142 Woodmere Mall.
South said there are no suspects at this time, but it is believed to be related to the homeless population, which had reportedly frequented the rear of the shopping center.
Damage to the building and loss of contents is estimated at $1.2 million.
Anyone with information is asked to contact South or Deputy Chief Terry Potter at 931-484-6144.
South credited quick work and a strong fire response for keeping the fire from spreading to other areas of the shopping complex off Main St.
"These are the buildings that keep me up at night," South said. "They [responding fire fighters] did a fabulous job of keeping it from getting into the roof."
Firefighters with the Crossville Fire Department were called to Woodmere Mall around 5:15 p.m. Monday with a report of heavy smoke in the Blush Salon, 142 Woodmere Mall, Suite 20.
"When crews arrived, they saw heavy smoke in the salon and the Dollar General [adjoining business] was starting to fill with smoke," South said.
They called for additional units from the Cumberland County Fire Department. Also responding were multiple law enforcement units, two ambulances with Cumberland County Emergency Medical Services, the Crossville-Cumberland County Emergency Management Agency and crews with Volunteer Energy Cooperative.
"I can't brag enough on the fire crews that responded," South said. "They did an exceptional job. They had a really good hold on the fire in a short amount of time. They kept it from going through the roof."
South said the fire was found in the basement at the rear of the salon and extended from the basement to the main level and into the attic space. Some of the fire reached to the Dollar General store next door.
"Both Blush Salon and Dollar General has heavy smoke and water damage," South said.
There was also smoke damage in an unoccupied office next to Blush Salon. Other businesses in the area were evacuated.
Fire crews remained on scene for several hours to fully extinguish the fire and remove smoke from the buildings.
There were more than 50 responders on scene, and fire departments in Putnam County, Cookeville and Smithville were placed on standby to respond.
"We had depleted our community resources," South said.
The cause of the fire is unknown Tuesday morning as is the extent of the damage. South said he believes there will be extensive contents loss in the businesses. Blush Salon and Dollar General were closed Tuesday, but the rest of the complex was able to reopen.
According to property tax data, Woodmere Mall was built in 1973.
The Monday call was the second commercial fire Crossville Fire Department crews were called to in two days. South said the department responded to Crossville Hardwoods, 656 Interstate Dr., on Sunday with report of a fire in the silo of the manufacturing facility. They were on scene with that incident for more than five hours.
Heather Mullinix is editor of the Crossville Chronicle. She covers schools and education in Cumberland County. She may be reached at hmullinix@crossville-chronicle.com.
