Main Street Reopens After Smoke Cleared Out Of Store
/By: Andrew Wroblewski
Pictured, a Huntington Fire Department volunteer climbs to the roof of Renarts shoe store at 289 Main St. in Huntington to search for the source of a potential fire.
A section of Main Street in downtown Huntington village has been reopened after fire officials cleared smoke out of the second floor of Renarts shoe store caused by an electrical malfunction in an air conditioning unit on the roof, fire officials said.
Main Street between Wall and Clinton streets was closed for about an hour after the Huntington Fire Department responded to a report from an employee at 1:09 p.m. of smoke coming from the store, located at 289 Main St.
“I went upstairs to grab a pair of shoes for a customer and, as soon as I walked in, I saw a little bit of smoke,” said Paul Rodriguez, a Renarts sales associate. “But as I walked in more, towards the back, [the smoke] got thicker and thicker.”
Rodriguez said that the smoke overcame him and he was forced to retreat back to the first floor of the building.
“I was coughing out my lungs,” he said.
Firemen scaled the side of a neighboring building to reach the roof of Renarts to investigate the cause of the incident.
The smoke dissipated as of 2 p.m., Huntington Fire Department Chief Robert Berry said. He said no injuries were reported and no damage was done to the building.
