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MONTPELIER — The owners of businesses damaged by two fires that hit Montpelier said they are facing a long road ahead before reopening.
On the block that The Mad Taco and Charlie-O’s on Main Street, not much appeared to have changed this week since Oct. 28, when an accidental fire damaged the two establishments. The fire was determined to have been caused by a spontaneous combustion of cleaning rags, according to Robert Sponable, the deputy director of the Vermont Division of Fire Safety, leaving the businesses empty and sealed off by tape.
Meanwhile, the cause of a Nov. 1 fire that consumed the rk MILES lumberyard just a short walk away is still under investigation, Sponable said. While the massive blaze consumed the lumber storage areas on Stone Cutters Way, the rk MILES showroom escaped serious damage. Surrounding buildings were also spared.
That fire did destroy a fire truck, forcing the Montpelier Fire Department to use its reserve truck as the primary engine for the foreseeable future, according to Lt. Chad Morris.
Earlier this week, the lumberyard site was cleared for cleanup after an inspection by insurance officials, Montpelier’s fire chief and Vermont’s fire marshal, according to Joe Miles, owner of rk MILES, who attended the inspection.
Miles said he wants to reopen, but like the other two businesses, he is unsure when that will be.
“It’s nice to have our type of business in that area,” he said. “I’m 99 percent certain we’ll reopen.”
The three businesses affected by the fires also suffered damages in July’s floods. The Mad Taco was shuttered by flood damage for more than three months.
“We had been open for a week, maybe even six days before the fire happened,” said Wes Hamilton, co-owner of the restaurant at 72 Main St. “To have it all just, you know, essentially wiped out literally over the course of a few hours definitely was one of those moments like, oh my god, are we really going to do this all over again?”
While the owners are aiming to reopen the restaurant, it will not likely happen anytime soon.
“The ceiling tiles melted. I mean, it’s just a total loss,” Hamilton said.
According to Morris, the building’s structure is still salvageable and the damage at neighboring Charlie O’s, a downtown fixture since the mid-1970s, is mainly smoke- and water-related, with some structural damage at the roof.
On Facebook and Instagram, Charlie-O’s posted that it will “be back as soon as we can.” However, like The Mad Taco and rk MILES, an exact timeline for reopening remains unclear, especially with winter weather potentially hindering construction conditions.
“We’re hoping in the spring to be open again,” Hamilton said. “Montpelier feels like a great place to be. It’s a vibrant community. It’s a really eclectic downtown.”
But with a continuing flood risk, how many more times will businesses be willing to rebuild?
“If we, you know, see another devastating flood next year, we will certainly be thinking long and hard about coming back to Montpelier,” Hamilton said.
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