An early morning fire destroyed a downtown building while SDSU students were on holiday break, and several stores are now working to get back in business.
There were no deaths or injuries after a fire in downtown Brookings engulfed 318 Main Ave in flames, leaving Brost’s Fashions at a complete structural loss and the surrounding buildings with severe damage.
On the morning of Monday, Dec. 30 Brookings police officers responded to a 911 call reporting smoke coming from downtown’s Brost’s Fashions. Police Chief Michael Drake said the call came in at 5:09 a.m.
“We had at least four officers there within seconds, and within a few minutes, six were on scene,” Drake said.
“Our job during the entire event, the day it happened, is to keep people safe,” Drake said.
Firefighters worked to put out the flames for an entire day. As far as safety for community members going downtown, Chief Drake says it is private property and to steer clear. Patrons leaving downtown bars late at night should stay clear of marked off area, because it is still an unsafe zone.
Two apartments were in the building, one occupant was at work while the other was in the building and made the 911 call after seeing smoke. The tenant escaped through a back window and on to the roof of Brost’s.
Businesses surrounding the fire experienced damages as well. Erica Grinde, owner of Emerald Grace Clothing, described her store as having a horrible smell after the fire and sweaters that were once cream colored are now brown or black. Emerald Grace was located right next door to Brost’s at 314 Main Ave.
“Our store is a total loss, from the pens, markers, sharpies, scissors, in our drawer in the backroom- to the fixtures, and inventory, etc,” Grinde said.
Emerald Grace will re-open very soon at a temporary location, 408 Fourth Street. There are gift cards for sale on the Emerald Grace Clothing website and people are encouraged to visit the shop when it reopens.
“Thank you to everyone who has shown their support thus far. We can’t wait to reopen very soon,” Grinde said.
The next steps in recovering will be for police to finish the investigation and professional inspectors will assess the other buildings’ damages. According to Chief Drake, the fire was not intentionally set.
Tyler Kuhl, a resident of an apartment above Ray’s Corner, across the street from Brost’s, woke up to red and blue lights but did not initially see smoke and went back to bed. Just 30 or 45 minutes later, Kuhl woke up again to a much bigger scene.
“By that point the flames were coming out of the roof,” Kuhl said. “The one thing I remember is there were just a bunch of people standing there watching.”
After the fire department and other first responders arrived, police began work ensuring people nearby were out of harm’s way. Chief Drake said officers went from building-to-building evacuating and making sure people were accounted for.