Smoke which drifted across the areaway separating two businesses and into the kitchen of the Gem Café at 12:50 am gave the alarm which took firemen to the scene in time to prevent a fire in the Turnage Feed and Grocery Store from spreading with disastrous results.

The fire burned through the wall of the store and damaged several shelves of groceries, mostly canned goods, in the northwest corner of the grocery where the blaze of undetermined cause originated. Flames from the grocery fire shot upwards towards the windows of residence apartments on the second floor of buildings adjacent on the west and north but the fire was not permitted to spread.

Early discovery of the blaze enabled firemen to cope with the fire which menaced the heart of an important section of business properties.

(Extracted from local newspapers and compiled by Harry Boyd, posted at http://www.marionfire.us )