TAPPAHANNOCK, Va. -- Melted metal and bricks are all that's left of the 200 block of Prince Street in Tappahannock after a fire destroyed the historic downtown on July 15.
"It was pretty overwhelming when I arrived on the scene, that's for sure," explained Tappahannock Essex Fire Chief Paul Richardson.
Richardson and his team of volunteers were the first to respond to the flames that Friday morning.
"We were on the scene within five minutes of the tone that was set off at that time," noted Richardson. "But you take a warehouse full of furniture like this, it's just like putting gasoline on the fire. It went up pretty fast.”
A furniture store, cafe, restaurant, art gallery and real estate office were all leveled by the fire, and nearby businesses are still standing. but didn’t totally escape damage. Barbour Printing, which is owned by volunteer firefighter Joey Reinhardt, is one of the shops with minor exterior damage.
"Initially, I ran across the street to make sure the the folks were out of that building, and then did a walk around and started getting some other folks to move their cars," said Reinhardt.
23 fire departments from 10 different counties responded to help Richardson and his men fight the fire.
"The way that community came together to help us fight this fire is nothing I will ever forget, that's for sure," Richardson explained.
This small volunteer team doesn’t get paid for their work, and they rely on donations to pay for their gear.
CBS 6 Reporter Caroline Coleburn decided to surprise the men with a $200 gift card as part of CBS 6 Gives to thank them for their service to their small community.
"We wanted to give you guys $200 to use for however you see fit," said Coleburn. "We know you are volunteers, and we appreciate what you're doing. We just wanted to say thank you."
"We appreciate it," the chief responded. "Thank you very much. We actually have two fire trucks and one in the shop right now from damage to the fire, so we hopefully will put it to that and get those back on the road as soon as possible.”
This Saturday, Aug. 13, the community is holding a pancake breakfast from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. at the Applebee's in Tappahannock to benefit all Essex County first responders. You can contact (804) 246-1327 to purchase a ticket or make a donation.
If you'd like to help the businesses and residents who were displaced by the fire, the Tappahannock Main Street Association has started a relief fund, and you can donate using this link.
CBS 6 Gives is made possible by Virginia Credit Union. Have an idea about who we should surprise next,
click here to email our team.
