A fire that started outside of a Buchanan store yesterday was quickly put out by fire crews and caused little damage, according to Buchanan Fire Chief Mike Adams.
Emergency authorities were dispatched to styling salon Guys and Dolls, 110 E. Front St., at roughly 3 p.m.
Adams said at first glance the fire looked worse than it actually was.
“It appeared to be more than it was,” Adams said.
It only took crews several minutes to put out the fire, which Adams said appeared to be from an outside source, such as a cigarette ash that had caught the dry wood of a 3-by-3 foot hanging sign above the store entrance.
The fire spread to some decorative woodwork on the outside of a building, but did not damage much else. Adams estimated the cost of the damage to be minimal.
The store appeared to not be open at the time the fire began. As a precautions the department evacuated all residents in the apartments above the store. No one was injured.
Fire authorities from Bertrand Township, Niles, Galien and Buchanan responded, but Adams said they sent people home pretty quickly once they realized the nature of the fire could easily be handled.
The electrical components of the store were tested. Adams said power was shut off temporarily.
Once power was restored, it was monitored by fire crews to assure that the cause of the fire had not been electrical.