Sunday Fire Destroys Greenfield Square Buildings

By Benjamin Cox on January 16, 2020 at 9:25am

The Greenfield town square may be losing two of its original buildings after a Sunday morning fire. The Greenfield Fire Department worked to save the structure, which houses 3 businesses – Bev’s Baskets & Bows Bridal Shop, Randy Fergurson Insurance, and the Friends and Family Diner. Assistant Greenfield Fire Chief John Hardwick, Jr. explained the nature of the fire: “We received a call at 4:39AM Sunday morning for a fully involved structure. We responded to the station and could see flames out of the roof from the firehouse because it’s only a half block away. We got a crew and started in through the restaurant where the fire was through the roof. We had some heavy smoke in the insurance, which is located directly west of the restaurant. We made entry into the front of the insurance office. Shortly after that, Carrollton Fire Department showed up on an automatic mutual aid page, and I had them make entry into Bev’s Baskets & Bows. They had heavy smoke and fire in the ceiling in that building. Both crews gained entry and knocked that fire down. Another crew knocked down the fire in the restaurant, and had it all put out.”

The fire department allegedly received the call from a Morgan County dispatcher who lives in Carlinville and drives through Greenfield on their way to work, according to a report from the Greene Prairie Press. The fire was extinguished in a half hour, but crews remained on scene for about 5 hours to ensure no hot spots reignited in the structures.

Hardwick says that insurance investigators and the State Fire Marshall have not issued a report on the origins of the fire. Hardwick says that the insurance and flower business buildings will have to consider rebuilding or moving: “The east wall [of those two businesses] that was against the restaurant has sagged. It was a brick wall that had a wood structure under it, and the wood structure burned out. I’m not sure what it would take to fix that, but it’s going to be significant. I would say that those two buildings will not be occupied again and possibly be torn down. As far as the restaurant, I think it can probably be rebuilt, but it would have to be after the two other buildings are torn down.”

Bev Goode, owner of Bev’s Baskets & Bows Bridal said in a Facebook post that she is concentrating on two weddings that are booked from the business and then she will persevere through the setback. Hardwick says the brick structure on the east side of the square is an original piece to the town’s square that sits adjacent to U.S. 267 and was originally all one building. Fergurson Insurance, in a Facebook post this morning, said their Greenfield location will be closed until further notice.