11/01/09 - Obion County
People in Troy are upset tonight
because their local grocery store went up in flames on
Saturday evening.
When Melanie Mays and Carolyn
Baker grocery shop, they head to E.W. James and Son's
Grocery store in Troy. "We know everybody that works here.
We might not know them by their first and last name, but you
know it is a small town," said Mays.
A fire on Saturday changed
everything. "I could not even see the building there was so
much smoke," said Mays.
According to the Troy Fire
Department, the blaze started in the meat department around
7:30 p.m. "We learned that some bystanders and the Troy
Police Department actually had to break the window out of
the Subway and rescue three people that were trapped in
there," said Troy Fire Chief Mark Watson.
Five people went to the
hospital. Three of those suffered from smoke inhalation and
had to stay overnight.
Firefighters from several
different stations helped extinguish the blaze. "At one time
there were 46 firemen on the scene and a total of 96
responders," said Watson.
Locals believe the fire will
have a huge impact on the community. "It was quick for us to
get here. We could grab a few things and go home. Now, it
takes an extra 7-8 miles before we can get what we need,"
said Baker.
Fire officials estimated the
total cost in damages totals more than $1 million. Fire
officials said it could take up to ten months to rebuild the
grocery store and get it back to normal.