Inferno: residents escape burning home, business

As Shelbyville City Council member Lee Roy Cunningham stood in 11-degree pre-dawn chill Monday watching his North Main Street home and business burn, he seemed surprisingly at ease.

"I thank the good Lord that he woke me up and told me to get out," Cunningham said. "I can replace a house but I can't replace lives."

Cunningham said he and his wife, Elizabeth, were awakened by smoke about 5 a.m. The fire may have broken out in a storage building attached to the large, two-story wood-frame home and spread into the house, Cunningham said.

Fire Chief John Habel and Cunningham said they had not determined the fire's origin.

"We don't know what caused the fire and probably never will," Habel said today. "The home was actually several structures -- a garage, a building with a swimming pool -- attached to the main house."

Fire personnel were planning to inspect the area further today, Habel said.

"I don't know what happened," Cunningham said. "It was 5 o'clock. I woke up and my wife said, 'I smell smoke.' I looked out and the back was on fire. My wife called the fire truck and we started moving cars."

Sgt. James Wilkerson of the Shelbyville Police Department first spotted the fire and radioed for help, Habel said, and Elizabeth Cunningham's telephone call was received moments later.

The cars Cunningham was referring to were located in front of and beside the home, which contained the office of Bedford Motors, a used car dealership, and Celebration Center, a floral and wedding business. Cunningham said he and his wife lived in the home's second floor.

At least two antique cars, a 1957 Chevrolet BelAir and a mid-1950s Ford Thunderbird, were lost in the fire. Both were contained in the storage area behind the home.

Lynn Hulan, chair of Shelbyville Historic Zoning Commission, said the loss of the home was another milestone in the transition of North Main Street, Shelbyville's primary gateway from the north, into a retail corridor. Over the years, many homes have been torn down while others, like the Cunningham home, were preserved but transformed into businesses.

"It is another loss in what was once a cohesive residential community," said Hulan. "We've lost homes all along that corridor."

Smoke continued to pour from the pile of remains this morning, with Shelbyville police and fire personnel continuing to receive calls from concerned passersby. Officials said plans are to let the remains smoulder awhile before removal, but any danger has passed.

Much of northern and downtown Shelbyville was covered by a smoky, smelly haze Monday and today due to the smoke.

North Main Street was closed between Madison Street and Colloredo Boulevard until midday Tuesday, causing backed-up traffic at intersections and side streets.