Bothell community cleaning up after 20 businesses damaged by fire
BOTHELL, Wash. – The damage of Friday’s fire in downtown Bothell is being realized as the smoke clears in the city. Fire officials with the city believe the number of businesses destroyed or damaged to now be at 20. It’s a devastating blow to the city’s Main Street, but business owners say it is not the end.
“Can I get anything else for ya’ right now,” asked Neville Redman to a customer. On Saturday afternoon, Redman was behind the bar in the pub he owns, while destruction was just outside his front door.
“We feel very fortunate,” he said. Redman owns Three Lions Pub with his sister, it sits on Main Street, just two blocks down from where the fire started. His bartender was still in the restaurant Friday morning, when the blaze broke out. Redman said his employee helped save his business.
“It was all coming in under the door,” said Redman, describing the deluge of water firefighters used, that ran from the flames to the street. “He quickly jumped into action and got everything he could to make a dam and that saved us a lot of water damage.”
Of the 20 businesses damaged, fire officials say that 15 are total losses. Redman said that means a loss for his business too.
“They’re all small independent businesses and it really hurts them and it hurts us collectively because there’s less of a draw to come to Main Street,” he said.
Redman said that even in the 40 hours since the fire, Three Lions Pub has taken a financial hit. “Usually Friday nights our biggest night of the week, we were at a third of our regular business and today we’re probably half our regular business,” said Redman.
The mayor said donation drives are in the works to help the struggling businesses that are open, and those that have been completely destroyed. A Go-Fund Me page, Bothell Strong, had past $2,000 dollars as of Saturday evening, the page is hoping to receive $10,000 dollars to give back to businesses.
The mayor said the money with go towards businesses that were destroyed and don’t have a backup plan. “The building might have had insurance but if the company didn’t have insurance then they could be out quite a bit of money,” said Mayor Andy Rheaume.
Mayor Rheaume said the outpouring of support for the city and the fire department has been overwhelming. The department is now fully stocked with food and supplies. He said if the community is looking for a way to help, the best thing to do is not drop off, but drop in.
“Come down here and visit the shops that are still here,” he said. It’s an open invitation that Redman is hoping people will accept. “Hopefully people realize that even though some of the streets are still closed, we’re open and that the other businesses that were affected are still open and people will make their way here.”
Mayor Rheaume said right now there is no timetable on when the streets will reopen. He said, the fire investigation needs to finish and the remnants of the Bothell Mall need to be stabilized.