Noel Fire Chief Brandon Barrett said his fire crew wore out some nozzles after a Dec. 28 devastating fire ravaged the African Grocery Store and nearby mosque.
Though the Main Street location was gutted by fire, Barrett said the fire engines performed well throughout the nearly 10 hours of operation. He credited that to keeping the engines maintained regularly.
The early morning fire got a bit hairy, he told Noel City Council members Tuesday night during a regular council meeting.
The store, situated right by the train tracks, ignited quickly. As the fire grew, local agencies were called to provide mutual aid, he said.
Anderson, Pineville, Southwest City, Sulphur Springs, Ark., and Gravette, Ark., fire departments joined the Noel Fire Department and responded to the blaze.
Two firefighters were injured in the blaze. One has already been cleared to go back to work, Barrett said. The other -- his 22-year-old son, Barrett -- will see a neurosurgeon for an updated progress report, he said.
All the equipment for the fire held up well, Barrett said. He did order two nozzles to replace ones that experienced a bit of wear and tear during the fire. Brand-new ones can cost from $500 to $800, so he ordered used ones. The department came out all right but no longer has its extra ladder. "The fire flashed and we lost a ladder," he said.
The fire is under investigation by the state fire marshal. Barrett said he does not have the investigation's results.
Several firefighters were needed to fight the fire, Barrett said, so that's why so many agencies were called to help.
The fire was fought in the interior and with roof operations, he said.
Firefighters were able to contain the fire by the time it had spread to the third building, he said, and no other stores on Main Street were damaged after that.
"Your boys did a good job," Mayor Lewis Davis said.
Council members also discussed several other issues Tuesday evening, including changing billing for multi-use apartments. City officials compiled a list of apartments that are not being fully charged the total amount of sewer usage that is used. Only about 2,000 gallons of sewer water is being charged each month, but the city is treating more like 24,000 gallons of sewer water, Davis said.
City council members agreed to change the billing.
In related business:
• City council members also discussed rewriting an ordinance to allow for charging $60 instead of the current $50 for a disconnect fee. At one point, city officials were seeing about 20 of those a month but now are down to about three or so. The extra $10 per disconnect helps recoup some time on the part of city employees, officials said.
• Approved a city license for a new coffee shop, The Melting Pot.
• Heard a report from Marshal Randy Wilson that the marshal's office recorded a total of 1,952 cases for 2020. In December, the marshal's office made 24 arrests and had 142 cases, including a recent drug bust, he said.