‘Fire was raging out of control’ witness to Old Mill fire says

Monday’s fire at the Old Mill Plaza in Newton, which appears to have started in the ceiling of a kitchen on the north side of Reba’s restaurant, burned hot enough to cause smoke damage to the majority of the 32,000-square-foot building.

Destruction, however, was limited to a couple of rooms adjacent to the restaurant’s dining area.

Bret Burton, managing member and part owner of Old Mill Plaza, said most of the smoke damage was on the first floor of the building on the east side.

Newton resident Eric Duncan, 22, was an eyewitness to the fire. Duncan said he was driving by Main Street when he saw what he thought was steam rising from the Old Mill.

He said the windows of the building appeared to be glowing as he looked around the corner.

“As I turned into the parking lot, one of the windows exploded,” Duncan said. “Flames came shooting out of a north window. The fire was raging out of control.”

Besides Reba’s, the most significant smoke damage was to the dental office of Drs. Harold Gregg and Thomas Bette, and to the Pacesetter Salon, a hair salon that joins Reba’s on the first floor.

Duncan said he approached the door to the salon, when a man and woman came running out. He feared there still were people stuck inside, but realized the smoke was too intense to run in after anybody.

Duncan was later told by fire crews everyone got out of the building safely.

“It was something that you would see out of a movie,” he said. “The fire got out of control really quickly.”

Bette said he was at home in Wichita when he heard about the fire.

“One of my assistants called me at home at 7:30, and I drove up here to see what was going on,” he said.

Bette said he wasn’t allowed to enter the office and survey the damage until the following morning. Although none of the equipment in the office was destroyed, Bette and Gregg won’t be able to see patients at the Old Mill Plaza for four to six weeks, while the smoke damage is taken care of.

“We’re just trying to figure out how to take care of our patients now,” Bette said.

He said he and Gregg will try to find a temporary location to see patients until they’re allowed to resume business at the office.

The Old Mill Plaza also houses offices for Randall Fisher, an attorney, and Harrision Polygraph Services on the second floor; Emergency Services of Kansas on the third floor; attorneys Adrian and Pankratz on the fourth floor; and Knudsen Monroe and Co., an accounting firm.

National Catastrophe Restoration Inc. out of Wichita has responded by bringing in air purifiers and will continue to help through the next couple weeks.

Burton said there isn’t much the restoration company can do beyond air fumigation until an insurance adjuster has a chance to survey the damage. Burton credited the Newton Fire/EMS Department for its efforts to minimize the damage.

“The fire department did a great job and communicated with us throughout the whole process,” Burton said.

He estimated fire crews had the blaze under control in about 45 minutes to an hour.