By By JESSICA SIEFF / Niles Daily Star
NILES – Charred pieces of structure look to be all that remains of Sue's Hallmark at 312 Main St. after a fire ravaged the store and damaged surrounding buildings Friday.
At least 20 fire departments throughout Michiana responded to the blaze that apparently started as an electrical fire in the store's basement and quickly engulfed the entire building. Many firefighters were in formal uniform, attending the funeral of a firefighter who had died in a car accident earlier last week when the call came in.
Sue Majerek, of Sue's Hallmark, said Friday she and employees had heard explosions coming from the basement. Lights flickered and power was lost. The power outage spread to nearby businesses after the fire gained in strength.
Response teams were on site again Monday investigating the incident.
Buchanan City Fire Department was first to arrive – on call for Niles fire departments that were attending the funeral. Later, departments from St. Joseph, Clay, Penn Township, Howard Township, Niles City and Niles Township all battled the five-alarm fire for a reported six hours. Thick plumes of smoke spilled out into the streets, firefighters could be seen dousing themselves with bottles of water and many residents were drawn to simply stop and stare as the storefront continued to burn.
On Monday, the South Bend Tribune office just next door to Sue's Hallmark remained closed. President and CEO of the Four Flags Area Chamber of Commerce, Ron Sather said that he'd heard that Majerek planned to rebuild. "That's the key word," he said. "They've been a part of the downtown business community for 50 years. Few businesses can say that."