Tuesday’s fire at a Wallace Avenue shopping center left a number of borough businesses homeless. Mayor Josh Maxwell offered thanks to the volunteers who helped battle the blaze, as well as those who offered food and beverages to the volunteers. He said the borough was already at work, looking for places to house the displaced businesses. Photo: courtesy Josh Maxwell.
DOWNINGTOWN — Mayor Josh Maxwell said Wednesday that he and the borough would work to find new homes for the businesses burned out of their shops Tuesday by a devastating fire at a Wallace Avenue shopping center.
Maxwell, who rushed to the scene of the fire, offered thanks and praise to the nine local fire companies that fought the blaze, as well as other local businesses who stepped up to feed the tired and hungry first responders. Maxwell said that the borough is already working to find new locations for the businesses displaced by the fire.
Maxwell’s statement, issued Wednesday afternoon:
“My thoughts and prayers, along with the entire Downingtown community, are with the dozens of business owners and employees who were affected by the largest fire in Downingtown in over 10 years. Downingtown Borough staff are already looking for vacant locations nearby that could be available immediately for these businesses.
“Yesterday, shortly before 5 p.m. something went wrong that caused a fire that spread through a shared attic. Within 15 minutes the Downingtown Police Chief contacted me and before I could get to the scene over 150 volunteers from 9 different fire departments had left work and started fighting the flames. Miraculously, the building was vacated quickly and the shared efforts of the massive fire fighting operation kept the fire from spreading to neighboring buildings.
“Although late yesterday afternoon, something went terribly wrong, everything that followed; including the response by the Downingtown Fire Department, local restaurants sending over food for volunteers and EMTs constantly monitoring the health conditions of those risking their lives fighting the flames, represented what well-prepared team in the face of a tragedy can accomplish.
“Someone yesterday leaned over to me and said about the volunteer fire fighters that had showed up, “Wow, when you need them, you really need them.” Absolutely true.
“If you see a firefighter or an EMT make sure you shake their hand. They did a tremendous job.
“If you have the chance to visit Margo’s Ice Cream, Pj Whelihans, Lione’s Pizza, Cocco’s Pizza, Wawa on Wallace Avenue, Wegman’s Downingtown, Victory Downingtown or Station Taproom, thank them for taking care of our exhausted emergency services team last night.
“My heart goes out to those whose livelihood was affected by this fire. As a community we will do our best to take care of you. Everything that followed the start of the fire made me very proud to be Mayor of this amazing community.
“We have a lot of good neighbors here.”
