Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Live At Daybreak
History in Flames in Jeffersonville, Indiana
Aired January 12, 2004 - 06:41 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: History goes up in flames in Jeffersonville, Indiana. A huge fire there has devastated, actually, destroyed an entire block, a block in the city's historic district.
Chris Parente of CNN affiliate WAVE live at the scene for us right now.
Tell us more about this.
CHRIS PARENTE, WAVE-TV REPORTER: Well good morning, Carol.
We can tell you, first off, that crews, as you can see, still here at the scene working to put out hot spots. They have been here now for more than 12 hours. First call coming out at 5:00 yesterday.
Jeffersonville, small historic town here along the banks of the Ohio, not far from where Lewis & Clark began their historic expedition. Today, a real part of Jeffersonville history has been lost, an entire city block, as Carol mentioned, up in flames.
We're told that they believe the initial sparks came from a party supply store here, downtown Jeffersonville, large number of napkins, paper plates, very combustible. From there it spread quickly. The entire block a loss.
Most of these buildings date back to the 1800s. Most are historic. They are in the historic preservation district. Really a loss that most of these folks having a hard time dealing with. Twelve homes evacuated nearby. And though the good news is no injuries here in Jeffersonville, town spirits have taken a hit.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're the last building right now that has fire. We just watched the roof fall through to the floor. It's a sad situation for the city of Jeffersonville. It's a big loss.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A nightmare, a nightmare.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PARENTE: It is a real nightmare for a lot of the folks here. Ironically, this very city block is at the heart of the revitalization effort for Jeffersonville. They have spent millions making this the centerpiece of their new revitalized downtown. Sadly, they will have to rebuild once again.
There's no word yet on what might have sparked those flames inside the party supply store. I think one of the residents here summed it up best when they said to them it was like watching the Titanic sink.
COSTELLO: I can only imagine. Now we understand why the fire might spread quickly in that paper factory, but how did it spread so quickly from building to building?
PARENTE: Well, again, one of the problems when you are dealing with buildings this old, again, many of them back to the late 1800s, the wiring systems, infrastructure isn't necessarily completely updated. And a lot of the buildings, if you look at the scene, very close proximity, easy for those flames to spread.
COSTELLO: Yes, and no modern firewalls either to protect it from the flames.
PARENTE: Right.
COSTELLO: Chris Parente of WAVE, CNN affiliate in Indianapolis, thank you.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired January 12, 2004 - 06:41 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: History goes up in flames in Jeffersonville, Indiana. A huge fire there has devastated, actually, destroyed an entire block, a block in the city's historic district.
Chris Parente of CNN affiliate WAVE live at the scene for us right now.
Tell us more about this.
CHRIS PARENTE, WAVE-TV REPORTER: Well good morning, Carol.
We can tell you, first off, that crews, as you can see, still here at the scene working to put out hot spots. They have been here now for more than 12 hours. First call coming out at 5:00 yesterday.
Jeffersonville, small historic town here along the banks of the Ohio, not far from where Lewis & Clark began their historic expedition. Today, a real part of Jeffersonville history has been lost, an entire city block, as Carol mentioned, up in flames.
We're told that they believe the initial sparks came from a party supply store here, downtown Jeffersonville, large number of napkins, paper plates, very combustible. From there it spread quickly. The entire block a loss.
Most of these buildings date back to the 1800s. Most are historic. They are in the historic preservation district. Really a loss that most of these folks having a hard time dealing with. Twelve homes evacuated nearby. And though the good news is no injuries here in Jeffersonville, town spirits have taken a hit.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're the last building right now that has fire. We just watched the roof fall through to the floor. It's a sad situation for the city of Jeffersonville. It's a big loss.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A nightmare, a nightmare.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PARENTE: It is a real nightmare for a lot of the folks here. Ironically, this very city block is at the heart of the revitalization effort for Jeffersonville. They have spent millions making this the centerpiece of their new revitalized downtown. Sadly, they will have to rebuild once again.
There's no word yet on what might have sparked those flames inside the party supply store. I think one of the residents here summed it up best when they said to them it was like watching the Titanic sink.
COSTELLO: I can only imagine. Now we understand why the fire might spread quickly in that paper factory, but how did it spread so quickly from building to building?
PARENTE: Well, again, one of the problems when you are dealing with buildings this old, again, many of them back to the late 1800s, the wiring systems, infrastructure isn't necessarily completely updated. And a lot of the buildings, if you look at the scene, very close proximity, easy for those flames to spread.
COSTELLO: Yes, and no modern firewalls either to protect it from the flames.
PARENTE: Right.
COSTELLO: Chris Parente of WAVE, CNN affiliate in Indianapolis, thank you.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
