Downtown getting back to business

By IAN MINIELLY

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Ironwood — City barricades continued to block traffic on Aurora Street Thursday after Wednesday’s fire and police tape is keeping people out of the destroyed and adjacent properties.

Business owners on the block are parking on adjoining streets, leaving Aurora empty and filling Suffolk Street.

Jan Miskovich, an owner of The Pines restaurant, a block away from the fire, on the corner of Aurora and Suffolk streets, said she ran water for a couple of hours Wednesday night to try and clear the muddy water out of the system. The restaurant was using bottled water and individual beverages, instead of the fountain variety, because of the water getting into the fountain machine.

Miskovich said people from each of their contracted sources were coming to clean the beverage machines and flush the systems, but she paid for a plumber to work on other water lines.

Miskovich said business was down considerably and because they only closed one day instead of at least three, the insurance company will not cover any losses resulting from the fire.

The Northwinds Cooperative grocery store had a sign tacked on its door saying it was closed because of the fire, but Rigoni’s Bakery was open for business as they brought in outside water.

Ben’s Place, just a stone’s throw from the scene of the fire, said they lost power Wednesday, but since the grill is gas-powered, Jeanne Walston, the owner, was still able to cook.

Walston pulled out her cell phone and said she used the light on the phone when she needed to see something in the kitchen.

“Gotta be prepared,” Walston said, and a couple of patrons broke out with Boy Scout language about the need to be prepared in life, which elicited a chuckle from the patrons.

Walston said they brought in well water from Erwin and Ironwood townships and heated it to 200 degrees to make coffee and serve customers. As far away as Burger King on U.S. 2, draft soda was unavailable Thursday, leaving only containerized beverages like orange juice.

Nancy Zak, who owns adjacent buildings to the fire housing Contrast Coffee and Zak’s Realty said during a meeting Thursday morning it was amazing how the three-foot gap between the buildings and work of firefighters saved her buildings. Now the roof needs to hold because the firefighting left a huge amount of ice and debris on her buildings and limited amount of water in the basement.