The Danville Fire Department faced a trio of major incidents over the weekend, led by $75,000 in damages at Bunge Milling (321 E. North St) on Saturday (March 25th). The initial alarm was received at 3:52 PM.
Firefighters arrived to find an exterior grain dust collector on the west side of the building on fire. A hand line was extended to extinguish the fire, and additional firefighters were assigned to search for additional fires and check on Bunge employees.
Firefighters were on the scene until 5:28 PM, and the cause is undetermined.
Later Saturday, at 11:48 PM, an incident occurred at 515 N. Vermilion, the VIPS Restaurant; as a vehicle crashed on site and caught fire as a result. Firefighters extinguished the fire and double-checked for fire extension into the building.
The alarm for the third incident came at 4:46 AM Sunday morning, as the Danville Fire Department responded to 1228 Garden Drive for a reported stove fire. This is an eight unit apartment building, and the department estimates that 18 to 20 people were in the building at the time of the fire. Firefighter Matt Goodner and Lieutenant Jason Hotsinpiller are credited with heroic rescues of two residents.
Firefighters were on the scene until 8:01 AM. Three cats died in the fire, but occupants were alerted by a smoke detector system. Early damage estimates were $25,000 to the structure and $10,000 in contents. No serious injuries were reported, and the Red Cross has been notified to assist families.
