April 27--ATHENS -- SEVEN POINTS -- The popular Big Show Auction building in this community erupted in flames and billowing smoke, reaching 40 feet in the air Thursday afternoon on State Highway 274.
The show, which features all kinds of merchandise, has attracted bidders from many locations, looking to make a deal on individual items in that inventory.
Firefighters from over the county and from Mabank, (mostly in Kaufman County), converged on the burning building. There were so many personnel, in fact, that it became difficult for some of the units to find a parking place where they could help out.
The building is located on the east side of State Highway 274. The fire started in the north end of the building, which is opposite of the end which regularly is used for professional wrestling matches.
The brisk wind out of the south aided firefighters in their attempts to keep the blaze from spreading all the way through the strip-mall-type structure.
"If the wind had been out of the north, instead of the south, we would have probably already lost the building by now," said Henderson County Fire Marshal Terry Watson.
With hot spots still popping up frequently, firefighters continued to pour water on the structure until well after 5 p.m.
Watson said it was too early for him to speculate on what happened, saying it would probably be several more days before he has a report ready for the county and the media.
One witness, who asked not to be identified, said renovations to the building recently, which had cedar on the sides of the building, were being treated to make them look "aged."
Watson said he had heard the same theory, but had no idea whether it was true or not.
One firefighter, A.J. Kirksey, with the Seven Points Volunteer Fire Department, said Thursday was a red-flag day, meaning city and state laws prohibit burning on those days.
Going from the north side of the building south, about 65 percent of the structure appeared to have been destroyed by press time Thursday.
More than 20 emergency vehicles were on-hand to assist, but the biggest problem turned out to be a limited amount of water.
Firefighters then pooled enough 5-inch hose to spread over a 2-mile area going north to just in-front of Brookshire's. and to another fire hydrant south.
There were no injuries in the blaze, and firefighters had it knocked down enough to get on top of it by about 4:30 p.m.
No information on the inventory that burned is yet available, nor whether the south end of the building can be saved.
Copyright 2012 - Athens Daily Review, Texas
