A late night fire destroyed part of local history Monday night when the Scafe Hotel across from the Boswell Regional Center campus in Sanatorium burned.
The hotel had been the destination for visitors to stay when visiting residents of the tuberculosis preventorium later known as Boswell.
Phillip Magee, Assistant Fire Chief for the Magee Volunteer Fire Department, reported that the department was responding to a second call on Tuesday morning, at which time the buildings appeared to be a total loss.
The initial fire call to Magee VFD came in around 11 p.m., on Monday night.
Magee said the department will continue to monitor the situation because so much of the building was constructed of heart pine, which is extremely flammable. A flareup prompted the second call early on Tuesday morning.
The actual cause of the fire is under investigation; however, Magee received a call, which was first reported as a kitchen fire, and a subsequent call, which reported the fire as being in the laundry room. The cause of the fire is yet to be determined.
Magee reported that the Magee volunteers turned out seven trucks with 14 personnel, and Mendenhall VFD responded with four vehicles with 10 personnel. The Simpson County Sheriff’s Department was also on the scene helping manage the situation. Magee said he appreciated the assistance from the Sheriff’s Department as well as from Mendenhall Volunteer Fire Department
Magee reported that one fireman was transported via AMR to Magee General after something fell from the roof and struck him in the back. Magee said the firefighter was released. He said the firefighter was sent to the hospital as a precautionary messure.
The facility was being used as a halfway house for former inmates. No injuries to any residents were reported.
