PORTSMOUTH
City officials defended their response to a fire in Olde Towne last month that destroyed a historic church and a downtown business and displaced at least seven families.
At Tuesday's meeting, City Council members were shown dramatic photos and presented a timeline of the city's response to the fire, which broke out Dec. 20.
"The No. 1 priority was to prevent any loss of life," said Newell Whitehead, the city's fire, rescue and emergency services chief.
He argued that his staff's response to the fire had been "swept under the rug."
Several City Council members on Tuesday praised the firefighters' efforts, but some said they had heard concerns about how the situation was handled.
Speakers at the meeting also had praise for firefighters, but some questioned the fallout from the fire.
Flames destroyed historic Zion Baptist Church and caused an adjacent church-owned building to collapse on Skipjack Nautical Wares & Marine Gallery in the 600 block of High St.
Skipjack's owners, Joe and Alison Elder, lost their business and their home, because they lived upstairs. The building was later demolished.
Timothy Bateman of the city's office of permits and inspections said the building was torn down because it was collapsing the morning of the fire. Joe Elder questioned that.
Speaker Terry Danaher said the Elders were not consulted about the demolition of their building.
"If they had been consulted, we wouldn't be here so upset tonight," Danaher said.
Alison Elder said she wanted to reiterate the request that she and her husband have made - that they be allowed to retrieve items from the building before any further demolition of the property.
Another building affected by the fire was an apartment building next to Skipjack.
On Friday, firefighters evacuated six families from the apartment building after a section of external bricks collapsed.
Martin Madden, who lived at 627 High St., commended the efforts of firefighters but questioned why he was allowed to return to the building after the fire.
"We were very lucky that the building did not collapse on us," Madden said.
Councilman Steve Heretick said the city's decisions may be questioned, but in some situations, there's not a lot of time to make decisions.
"Thank God for what you did," Heretick said of the firefighters' efforts.
Councilman Doug Smith said firefighters responded to a situation that was horrible but could have been much worse.
"You did something wonderful that day, and I'm extremely proud of you," Smith said.
City Manager Ken Chandler said the city is working to restore losses to community members affected by the fire.
"We still have more work to do," Chandler said. "It's far from over."
Jen McCaffery, (757) 446-2627, jen.mccaffery@pilotonline.com
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I agree with BigMike
Having been a firefighter, I know first hand what extra pains we took to try to lessen damage after a fire...I remember several calls where, during the overhaul stage, we actually moved their furniture out of the house so it could be salvaged. The PFD, from what I saw, was fighting a purely defensive fire...too hot, too dangerous to go offensive. They did their job, and did it admirably. The City, however, much to quick to move on demolishing everything...they, the Elder's, should have been able to assess their property! Something does smell here, and it is not the smoke.
Church Fire
I was at work when my apartment was set on fire. No one contacted me or the landlord. I tried repeatedly to get in contact with someone. Only after threatening to call Wavy TV 10 did I get a response- 2 wks after the fire. FINALLY the marshals came to my apt to investigate, only to tell me it was too late to gather evidence. I commend the efforts of the fire fighters but I have no compassion for the fire marshals of Ptown. My <3 goes out to the couple who lost their business and home and to all who lost their church.
I haven't heard anyone blame the PFD for any wrong.
The PFD did their job and did it well, I haven't heard of anyone pushing blame for anything their way. What I do see is the city trying to divert attention from the fact that they demolished someone's business and home too quickly. I don't think I've ever seen a local government move so fast on anything. It's almost as though it was pre-planed by the city. I wonder what use of the land they have in mind. Something does indeed smell bad here but it's not the fire department. The FD is probably the most trust-worthy city entity to be found in any city. They give 100% and ask for little.