By EMILY R. WEST
Sweeping up the debris from the fire, a couple of volunteers tried to start cleaning up in front of the charred Franklin Glassblowing Studio.
Still working on securing the scene, Franklin Fire Deputy Chief Andy King stood behind the yellow tape supervising Friday morning.
At around 9 p.m. Thursday night, the Franklin Fire Department arrived on scene of the fire at 1143 Columbia Avenue. On arrival, crews found smoke in the attic.
“The fire spread from the Franklin Glassblowing Studio up to the second floor apartment,” King said. “Eventually, it became a defensive attack, meaning we had to use the aerial ladders to help extinguish the fire.”
King said that Stations 1, 2, 4, 5 and 6 responded to the blaze. In total, it 30 firefighters to control the area until they left the scene at 1 a.m. In the process, one firefighter was injured after he fell into a meter vault four feet below the ground. Medical staff have since released him from Williamson Medical Center.
King said he had no cost estimates for damage, but he figured the building would be a total loss. The department was just beginning its investigation Friday morning.
Franklin Glassblowing Studio regularly opens its doors for the Franklin Art Crawl every month. Owner Jose Santisteban lived in the adjacent apartment. He was not injured, nor on scene Friday morning.
Emily West covers Franklin, schools and high school football for Home Page Media Group. Contact her at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter via @emwest22.
