Wednesday, Aug. 6, 2003 | 11:09 a.m.
With water still on the floor and the smell of smoke hanging on the merchandise that survived Monday night's flames at a Salvation Army warehouse, the organization started looking Tuesday toward rebuilding.
The nonprofit group is determined to build a new warehouse on the site, and so far the organization has received pledges of about $35,000 from local businesses to get started.
Fire officials estimated the three-alarm blaze, which started about 8:30 p.m. Monday at the warehouse near Lake Mead and Las Vegas boulevards, caused $200,000 in structural damage alone. Salvation Army leaders have estimated that $300,000 worth of donations were also ruined.
The fire seemed to have originated near a paint shop trash can full of rags soaked in flammable liquid used to touch up furniture, North Las Vegas Fire Chief Jim Stubler said.
"Everything so far points to a purely accidental fire," Stubler said.
A good portion of the remaining building will need to come down, but the organization doesn't plan to move the operation, Charlie Desiderio, the organization's spokesman, said.
"It's a great location, right off of I-15," he said. "We have a great relationship with the city of North Las Vegas."
Mark Jordan, principal planner for North Las Vegas, said the warehouse won't have any problem getting permission to rebuild. The location is zoned for such buildings, and its metal structure is allowed there under city ordinances.
But if the organization does rebuild, the new building will have to be better protected, fire officials said.
Stubler said the aluminum portion of the building that sustained the most damage was not equipped with sprinklers, and firefighters had trouble fighting the blaze because the water pressure in the area was inadequate.
A new sprinkler system will be needed throughout the building, and if tests show there's not enough water pressure, a storage tank will have to be kept on the site, he said.
Rebuilding will also be needed in the thrift store businesses that rely on the warehouse at 211 Judson Ave., Desiderio said.
"They are not going to get merchandise, it's that simple," he said. "That's where we will take the hit."
In addition to the losses inside the warehouse, merchandise that had been packed into three trucks to be delivered to stores Tuesday was returned because it reeked of smoke, he said.
That loss will be felt in the income the stores raise for the group's rehabilitation programs. He estimated thrift store revenue for six days at $180,000.
The organization has insurance, but he doesn't know how much of the loss will be covered, he said.
Right now, he said, the organization hopes to find a temporary facility to house donations concerned citizens may want to make.
"If we had space, then we could receive goods," Desiderio said. He added the group is looking for a 25,000- to 40,000-square-foot building.
Desiderio received some good news this morning, when the group's insurance company said it may be able to use about 40 percent of the building that was not destroyed. He said they may be able to operate in as soon as three weeks.
"The space won't be enough, but at least there's a little glimmer of hope," Desiderio said.
Until then the group is accepting only monetary gifts to help cover the lost income, he said.
"As the sales in the thrift stores decrease (because of dwindling stocks), this money will supplement the lost sales," Desiderio said.
The group has received $35,000 in cash donations. Desiderio said KVBC Channel 3 held a telethon Tuesday night and raised $15,000. In addition, Nevada Power Co. committed $10,000, and Smith's Food & Drug Centers Inc. pledged $5,000.
Smaller businesses and individuals have donated another $5,000, he said.
Thursday and Friday the six auto dealerships of the Courtesy Group will be holding fund-raisers on their lots. Desiderio said Salvation Army workers will be on hand.
"Everybody's been awesome," Desiderio said.
Desiderio said he is confident the organization will overcome the setback.
"The Salvation Army has been around for 140 years. We have been through world wars and regional wars, and we will go on for another 140 years," he said.
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