CHAFFEE MEDICINE SHOPPE DESTROYED BY FIRE

CHAFFEE -- Fire destroyed the Medicine Shoppe Pharmacy on south Main in Chaffee late Tuesday afternoon.

Fire Chief Bill Hagen declared the building to be an 80 percent loss. He said the firefighters determined the fire was caused by cigarette ashes that had ignited a trash can near the back of the store.

The pharmacy is owned by Randy Dooley and formerly housed the Lankford Drug Store.

Hagen said firefighters were called to the scene at 6:20 p.m. about 30 to 45 minutes after the fire was determined to have started. The store was closed at the time. An apartment situated above the store was also empty but experienced significant smoke and heat damage, he said.

Hagen said firefighters were able to gain control of the fire about 30 minutes after they arrived, but remained on the scene for two additional hours.

An apartment building on the south side of the pharmacy also sustained smoke damage, as did an adjacent insurance agency, he said.

Hagen described the heat and smoke from the fire as considerable.

"It'd say it burned a good 30 minutes before we were even called," he said. "The extensive heat in the building even melted the cash register."