Last Thursday evening we had a devastating fire in Eau Claire that leveled a part of our town’s history, Delisio’s Market.

I arrived on the scene very shortly after it started, living only a 150 yards away. As I walked out the alley onto Route 38 and headed toward the store I saw a huge amount of black smoke billowing out from under the front porch-style roof and the open front door. It was apparent firefighters were in for a huge battle. There were already four units setting up, Routes 38 and 58 had been closed off and some of the first responders had already gained access through the front door while others made their way into the basement through a garage door on the north side of the building.

The firefighting equipment kept pouring into town in a stream of sirens and flashing red lights. Soon the streets were a sea of firefighting equipment. Two portable water reservoirs were set up and tanker shuttle routs were set up to supply water. Seventeen fire companies from four counties with more than 100 firefighters responded. It was amazing to see all this equipment and firefighters working in unison as if it had been practiced hundreds of times.

I witnessed firefighters coming out to refill their oxygen supply tanks after a half hour inside, sweating profusely and exhausted from fighting the fire; they suited back up and went back in to continue the fight. But after an hour or so it became apparent that the older structure’s several layers of walls from being remodeled several times, and the high wind that evening, would force them to to lose the battle.

At that point they changed their focus toward the surrounding buildings, one of which was only 30 or 40 feet away. It was truly amazing to watch, and through their heroic efforts all of the surrounding structures survived with only minor damage.

If you had witnessed this firsthand and seen the all-volunteer firefighters during their heroic, tireless effort, I’m sure the next time your local fire company has a fundraiser you would be more than glad to help out.

I would like to personally thank all of the individual firefighters and their fire companies for their efforts fighting this fire, and I urge the public to support local fire companies so they can continue their fight.