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Oops! Few front page headlines pique the reader’s curiosity like one with the word “Oops”. And so it was 25 years ago this week that the Progress did just that when reporting how sometimes things don’t always happen in the order we plan them. It seems that in the summer of 1974 a house on West Third St. had been severely damaged by fire. The owner had since left and local residents began to complain that the burned out building was a health hazard and should be destroyed. The city eventually boarded up the house to prevent any injuries. Enter the fire department. In order to expose its newer members to the techniques of fighting fires, the volunteer fire department thought that the house could be used as a practice house. A controlled burn could offer valuable hands-on experience. Members of the Belleville Area College fire school would also be invited. Enter the City Council. Burning a vacant house required Council approval so city zoning administrator Dave Horton made the request at the April 21, 1975 Council meeting. Proceeding with the burn would he contingent on approval by the Environmental Protection Agency. he Council gave its OK.
Minutes later, the Council chambers (in the old City Hall) were shaken by the blare of the fire whistle next door reporting a fire in the district. There wasn’t anything necessarily unusual about that—except that when the fire department returned from the scene, the Council, still in session, was shocked and amused to learn that the fire was at the very house they had just voted to burn down. OOPS! Apparently some bushes caught fire—possibly by children in the area seen playing with matches—causing minor damage to the side and front porch of the house.
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