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 Firefighters with the Fort Scott Fire Department extinguish flames inside the restrooms located near Heritage Park at First and Main streets Wednesday afternoon. It took the local firefighters less than 25 minutes to put the fire out and clear the scene. (Rayma Silvers/Tribune Photo) [Click to enlarge] |
Shortly before 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday, the FSPD received a call from a witness informing dispatch the public restrooms located next to Heritage Park at the corner of First and Main streets were on fire.
After arriving on scene, members of the Fort Scott Fire Department detected heavy black smoke coming from the public restroom facilities. According to FSFD Chief Paul Ballou, it did not take firefighters very long to extinguish the flames, which were coming from the men's restroom.
"We had a report of smoke," Ballou said. "The caller thought the roof was on fire. There was pretty heavy black smoke, but there were only flames inside the bathroom. It was pretty smoked up, but both the smoke and the fire are contained."
According to FSPD Lt. Shaun West, after receiving statements from witnesses of the fire, police officers located and brought four young men into the police station for questioning in regards to the fire. Upon completion of the questioning, two of the youth were released and two of the juveniles were charged with arson.
West said as a result of the arson, the structure sustained minimal smoke and water damage. Items inside of the bathroom sustained damage from the fire.
FSPD Chief Ron Puterbaugh said the police department is grateful for the assistance that was provided by local citizens, who helped officers locate and apprehend the suspects believed to have been involved in the arson incident.
"We need the public to be an extra set of eyes and ears to make the city a safe place to live, work and play," Puterbaugh said. "Today that was played out by the alert citizens who gave us the information leading to the arrests of the juveniles who started the fire downtown. The police department is thankful for the help and looks forward to further cooperation between citizens of the community and the police department as we work together to make the community a safe place to live, work and play."
In addition, Puterbaugh said any area residents who see questionable activity should feel free to call the local police department at (620) 223-1700.
"We want the public's involvement," Puterbaugh said. "Anytime citizens see suspicious activity they should feel free to call the police department."
According to dispatch records, the incident was phoned in at 2:27 p.m. The first police officer arrived on scene at 2:30 p.m., and the first fire engine arrived on scene at 2:33 p.m. The firefighters cleared the scene at 2:57 p.m.
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hmmmm....wondering if something like that, caused the downtown fire of 2005?
nah, probably just fire codes that were ignored for years
how nice. arent these the bathrooms that someone just recently got done remodeling? im scared to death of the fact that alot of the kids in this day and age have no damn respect. and they are our future? wonderful. do u know what my opinion is? well im going to tell you. these days parents cannot discipline there children as they see fit. example: spanking. i was spanked as a child. and i believe that it helped me grow into a decent law abiding citizen. now adays parents cant even do that without fear of children services being called. perhaps if some of these kids recieved more spankings as young children they might have a little more respect for the law and for others.
Make them clean it up! make them be involved in the rehab of the place, make them take responsibility! Tell the judge money doesn't phase them, and the jail is overcrowded, so let's make them work for the city to repay their debt!
Put it in the news, on the paper, and the rest of them will think twice before tearing up something someone spent money and time building. And to the citizen who called this in, thank you from all of us. We love FS, and love what we have, and believe it would be a better place to live with less crime. The only way to fight it is to keep on fighting it. Make them clean the jail potties!
Many parents don`t watch their kids or know where they are or what they are doing. I agree with Kansashotrod-make them clean it up with a tooth brush and rags-then when they are done-they can paint the restroom-then they can clean up the parks-keep the punishment heavy-we don`t need more of downtown to burn or for someone to be hurt or killed in a fire-these kids owe it to Fort Scott. Many people are trying to improve the town-these type of people need to be held accountable for for making other peoples jobs harder.