The ladies of Guys & Dolls Salon have relocated after an accidental fire burned out their downtown shop Saturday morning. Two neighboring buildings suffered smoke damage from the blaze.
Zan Adams discovered the fire at the shop while driving north on Kearney Street shortly after 5:30 a.m.
“I had just dropped my daughter off at my in-laws and was driving to work when I saw smoke coming out of the front of the building,” Adams said.
She couldn’t see any flames but went straight to the Donley County Sheriff’s Office where she reported the fire.
The Clarendon Volunteer Fire Department responded with four trucks and had the blaze extinguished by 7 a.m., according to Assistant Fire Chief Pat Robertson. Two fire department officers and one EMS unit also responded.
“The guys did a good job and used very little water to put out the fire,” Robertson said. “It didn’t take long. The interior was almost a total loss, but the building was still structurally sound.”
The fire department remained on the scene until 8 a.m. and worked to remove smoke from the buildings on either side of the beauty shop. The Rebekah Lodge to the south had minimal smoke damage, but the Newhouse Building on the north had greater smoke damage.
Robertson said the fire started in a linen hamper on the west wall of the beauty shop. Fire damage was limited to the northwest part of the building, but the remainder of the shop suffered heavy heat and smoke damage. Heat also cracked glass in the front of the building.
An estimate of the damage was not available as of Monday.
Shop owner Brenda Chamberlain said she appreciates the efforts of the men who fought the blaze.
“I’m so grateful to the fire department for their quick action and their risk of life,” she said. “They saved all of us on that end of the block.”
Chamberlain has owned Guys & Dolls for 21 years and works there with Ethie Uptergrove, Frieda Siddle, and Carol Baxter. She said she intends to reopen her business in the same location.
“I have too much clientele to just quit,” she said. “My phone has been ringing off the wall with well wishers.”
Uptergrove and Siddle were able to conduct their business Saturday thanks to Janie Finch of Janie’s Beauty Shop, located in the Rebekah Lodge building.
Chamberlain said all four of the Guys & Dolls gang will be relocating temporarily to Susie Q’s Family Hair Care at 103 S. Kearney until they can get back in order
“Susie was gracious enough to let us all stay together,” she said.
Chamberlain was also very thankful for the efforts of Zan Adams.
“She saw the smoke. I’m forever grateful to her, and I don’t even know her.”
“I’m glad I got to help,” Adams said. “That makes me feel good, and I’m glad nobody was hurt. Things can be replaced; lives can’t.”
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