Jan. 25--An early morning fire in downtown Brownsville heavily damaged a local business in close proximity to several other local businesses, Deputy Fire Marshal Joel Rodriguez said.
A precious-metals store on the 1100 block of East Elizabeth Street caught fire around 5 a.m. Tuesday and sustained significant smoke and fire damage, Rodriguez said.
The store, Brownsville Gold and Silver, near a Payless Shoe Store, is in a cluster of buildings that poses high risk of spreading when one storefront catches fire, he said, but firefighters responded quickly and prevented a quick spread.
"Because the buildings downtown are so close together, your business can catch on fire if the one right next door does," Rodriguez said. "It could have been a lot worse."
Fire crews prevented the fire from spreading to nearby businesses and contained the flames to the first floor of the structure.
The call came in the early morning as the blaze consumed the deserted storefront that hadn't yet opened for the day, Rodriguez said. The fire alarm at the Payless activated, alerting the fire department.
"That's why we encourage every business to have a fire alarm system," Rodriguez said.
Late in the afternoon Tuesday, a smoky smell still wafted through the busy downtown street while the owners and fire officials surveyed damage to the store, marked off by yellow crime scene tape.
Smashed glass from broken windows littered the ground of the dark store, which was blackened with smoke.
Rodriguez said the fire is still under investigation but so far it appears accidental.
Copyright 2012 - The Brownsville Herald, Texas
