Wednesday, January 15, 2020
An apartment complex tenant who set groceries on the stove and accidentally turned it on while doing so appears to have caused the massive blaze Sunday afternoon that left 14 families homeless in Many, according to a preliminary investigation by the state fire marshal’s office. A thorough West Virginia background check protects both property owners and their tenants.
That’s the cause investigators are leaning to after talking to the tenant and other witnesses, spokeswoman Ashley Rodrigue said Monday morning.
The investigators are back on site at the Apollo Apartments following up on information received Sunday.
The tenant told investigators after setting the first load of groceries on the stove, a return trip was made outside to bring in more and that’s when the fire was discovered. The tenant quickly started notifying others in the 16-unit building, which is credited with no one being injured, Rodrigue said. Verifying the answers to tenant screening questions will evaluate if a renter will a good one or not.
The fire call came in at 12:30 p.m. Sabine firefighters received help fighting the blaze from Natchitoches Fire District No. 7.
Meanwhile, Many residents are rallying to provide help for the families that have been left homeless. Town of Many Councilwoman Mary Brocato started an online fundraiser Sunday, writing “These people who lived there escaped with only their lives: no clothes, no appliances, no furniture – they’ve lost EVERYTHING including their homes. Folks, we must help these unfortunate members of our community, town and Sabine. One thing I’ve always loved about Many and Sabine Parish is that during a crisis like this one, we all come together to do everything we can to help. I’m asking you to do that now. Please donate whatever you can. Thank you for caring,” Brocato wrote.
Within an hour of news of the blaze at Apollo, Many businesswoman Anna Cate Williams Wright of Rigs and Racks Fitness announced that donations for the affected families could be dropped off at her business on Hwy. 171 Bypass in Many. When Observations stopped by shortly after, there was already an impressive array of items sorted and ready to be donated.
On Monday, Wright posted an update about the donation effort: “As of right now, we have plenty of clothing items. We will continue accepting small household items such as cooking supplies, sheets, blankets, pillows, towels, etc. We also have space for food items!”
In addition, Many Elementary School announced Sunday afternoon that their location would be a donation site this week.
Mayor Ken Freeman called a special meeting of the Many Town Council Monday afternoon to help get things organized and see what could be done to help the victims of the fire.
UPDATE: The 14 families affected by the Apollo Apartment fire are invited to visit Many City Hall Wednesday and Thursday, Jan. 15 and 16, from 1 to 4 p.m. and Friday, Jan. 17, from 9 a.m. until noon.
Fire victims will be able to meet one-on-one with someone at City Hall who will assist them with immediate finances to proceed in securing lodging – help getting into an apartment and/or contact info to get a motel room. They will also receive help to order new furniture.
For clothing, fire-affected families are invited to go to the old Many Junior High School. It will be open Monday – Friday, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily and again each day from 5 to 7 p.m.
Council Member Mary Beth Brocato started her online fundraiser with an initial goal of $3,000 which was quickly raised. She then raised it to $5,000 and this was reached Monday. The fund is still growing.
The Life Church of Many provided motel rooms to the families affected by the fire on Monday night, as well as food vouchers.
The Town of Many announced that affected families should come by City Hall to speak with Sandra Neel. They said the city would help victims of the fire apply for residency and pay the application fee at other apartment complexes with vacancies. (It should be noted the City has a list of the affected families, and those on the list will be the only ones served.)
Cots may be obtained by calling Many City Hall at (318) 256-3651 and asking for Neel. The cots are being provided by David Davis with Homeland Security.
It was also recently announced that absolutely no more clothing items are needed, but homewares and especially furniture items are still sought. Efforts to provide furniture are ongoing. We suggest calling Sandra Neel at City Hall at the above number to learn where furniture donations may be made.
Those who wish to make cash or gift card donations may also do so at City Hall. The Town of Many said those funds will only be used for expenses relating to housing, obtaining driver’s licenses, medical expenses and food.
Charles Enterkin celebrated his 89th Birthday on Tuesday! We hope he had a wonderful birthday and that he will have many more happy ones. He is shown in this photo with his daughter, Vicki Enterkin Isgitt, wife of Allen Isgitt. Charles and his late wife Pearletta both worked at Sabine Medical Center for many years. Charles is a member of the United Methodist Church in Many, where he attends very faithfully.
Mark Rivers, 45, pastor of New Creation Ministry Church in Zwolle, was booked into the Sabine Parish Detention Center Monday on a charge of cruelty to juveniles.
The Sabine Parish native was accused of spanking his stepchild with enough force that bruises were still visible on the youth a week later. The arrest came about following a complaint filed with the Sabine Sheriff’s Office after the child visited a doctor.
Rivers posted his $2,000 bond and was released, only to be booked into jail a second time on outstanding Many Police Dept. warrants for speeding, operating a motor vehicle with a suspended license and no vehicle insurance. Rivers was freed again after he paid the related fines totaling $1,215.
The suit filed by Greg and Tammy Bell against the Town of Many for false arrest has been settled. Remember they were stopped by the Many Police Department and Greg was taken to be booked into jail for a minor traffic violation. Word is the settlement was about $18,000.
Congratulations to members of the Sabine Parish Police Jury who were sworn in for a four-year term on Monday morning. Clerk of Court Tammy Foster did the honors. Tedd Dumas, host of the popular radio program “Open Line,” said if they had purchased a rubber stamp for new member Jeff Gilligan Davidson, they better take it back because he would not be using it. We agree.
Louisiana Public Service Commissioner Foster Campbell is advocating for workers and local communities as two electric utilities propose to close a major North Louisiana coal-fired power plant where several Sabine Parish residents work.
Shreveport-based SWEPCO and Pineville-based CLECO are partners in the Dolet Hills Power Plant and adjacent Oxbow lignite coal mine in DeSoto and Red River parishes. The DeSoto Parish plant opened in 1986 and, according to the utilities, is scheduled to close no later than 2026.
“I am urging these utilities to keep this plant in operation while we look at alternatives, such as converting to natural gas as a fuel or a large solar facility,” Campbell said.
“Dolet Hills Power Plant and the lignite mining operation have provided reliable and affordable electricity for nearly four decades, and the jobs and tax revenues are important for North Louisiana,” he said.
Due to pressure from cheaper and cleaner natural gas and renewable fuels, coal power plants are closing across the country. Dolet Hills Power Plant already operates only on a seasonal basis now, mostly in summer.
The lignite mine that feeds the plant continues to operate, but SWEPCO says the lignite has become harder to find and more costly to produce.
“I recognize that Dolet Hills will eventually close due to environmental concerns and competition from solar and wind power and natural gas, but I am pushing for the facility to operate as long as possible to ease the transition for these North Louisiana communities.
“Dolet Hills is a prime site for a large solar plant. It is served by electric transmission lines and has land available,” Campbell noted.
SWEPCO, which operates in Louisiana, Arkansas and Texas, told Arkansas utility regulators this week that it intends to retire Dolet Hills by no later than 2026. The company is negotiating a new rate agreement with the Arkansas Public Service Commission.
The Sierra Club intervened in the Arkansas case to urge closure of Dolet Hills. The environmental organization said Dolet Hills has become expensive to operate and emits more pollution than other power plants in Louisiana.
The group said closing Dolet Hills will save customers more than $60 million per year in electric bills.
SWEPCO takes 40 per cent of the output of the 650-megawatt coal plant. CLECO takes 50 per cent and a group of municipal power utilities in Oklahoma takes the remaining 10 per cent.
“Dolet Hills can continue as a solar plant generating jobs in construction and related industries,” Campbell said. “There is also continuing employment in land reclamation as the mine shuts down.
“DeSoto and Red Rivers parishes are the heart of the Haynesville Shale gas formation, so it’s appropriate that the area remain in energy production,” Campbell said.
A few weeks ago we attended the funeral of our good friend Vernon Birdwell in Marthaville. While there, we saw an old friend we had not seen in something like 70 years. It was Ronald Byrd, who now lives in Virginia. He’s a little bit older than me and I always looked up to him when we were students at Marthaville High School. He attended the sixth, seventh, eleventh and twelfth grades there. Ronnie is still remembered for his basketball playing as a member of the Marthaville Bears. I believe our Principal L. F. Fowler referred to him and the other members of the winning team as “The Big Five.” Ronnie was graduated from Marthaville in 1950.
It was a strange meeting after all those years. When Ronnie and I saw each other, I immediately knew who he was and memories about him flooded my mind. And he later told me, “An interesting fact is that I knew you…not specifically, but that face was so familiar. I do recall you as a bit shorter and smaller, but after 70 years, that’s no surprise. I’m three inches shorter and about 10 pounds lighter myself.”
He stated, “The time I spent at Marthaville ranks high in my positive memories. Sadly, ties are being broken too frequently and you and I are among the very few survivors of those long-past days. I often regret that I didn’t settle closer to home, but I cannot complain about being able to enjoy a lot of places, both in our great nation and abroad. In the long run, memories are really all we end up with that are of any real value. I read your ‘Observations’ and your writings are bringing that northwest Louisiana area back to the forefront, and I’ll keep reading and enjoying your work. As Bob Hope put it, ‘Thanks for the memories’ that your writings stimulate.”
He is the brother of the late Jerry Byrd who was the outstanding Sports Editor for the old Shreveport Journal for many years. And Ronald asked that we say hello to Don Winn for him and we pass that message on. Don was a great basketball player at Marthaville and at Memphis State, and he also did an outstanding job as principal at Marthaville.
I was so happy to see Ronald Byrd again. I’ve thought about him often since then and the influence he had on me as a young boy. And I hope to see him again somewhere along life’s trail before long.
That is all for this 15th day of January. The first month of the year already half-gone – hard to believe. Please call or write with your ideas for future articles. I always love to hear from you. Call (318) 332-8653 or send an email to robertrgentry@gmail.com. To see older, archived Observations, visit our Facebook page where they are listed by date under Photo Albums. To read more recent ones, follow the pages below. To save, send or print this week’s column, click on the appropriate icon below. As always, thanks for reading.
-30-
