Owner of Harrison pool and spa store says rebuilding will be fast-tracked after fire

The owner of a swimming pool and hot tub store in Harrison is vowing to rebuild after a fire Tuesday afternoon burned the building to the ground.

John Placek, who owns three Country Pools & Spas outlets, said he already has contacted a company to clear the rubble and a contractor to rebuild the building in the 5000 block of Freeport Road. It’s the largest of the company’s three locations.

“The most important thing to me is that nobody was seriously hurt,” Placek said Wednesday as he inspected the site and met with fire investigators and insurance adjusters.

“My goal is to have a new place up and running by March, ” he said. “I’m a military veteran, and we learn to deal with problems by planning, organizing and executing. So that’s what I’m doing today.”

Placek said the store’s assistant manager, Brandon Dawson, was working inside and unaware that a fire broke out until a passing motorist stopped to tell him that he saw smoke coming from the building.

Placek said Dawson went outside and tried to use a garden hose to extinguish the flames, but they already had started to spread to other parts of the building.

Dawson was outside when flames touched off a pair of explosions — likely propane tanks that ignited — that created fireballs that engulfed the structure. Dense clouds of smoke filled the sky as firefighters from more than a dozen departments converged on the scene.

First responders evacuated some elderly people living within a half-mile radius of the scene because they were worried about possible exposure to fumes from chemicals stored in the building, such as chlorine and various types of acids.

People who were taken to a temporary shelter were allowed to return home shortly before 7 p.m.

At least one firefighter was transported from the scene for treatment of inhalation issues. No information was available Wednesday about the firefighter’s condition.

Firefighters who worked within 75 feet of the building were required to go through a decontamination process to clean their gear, along with being monitored for a time to ensure they were not suffering from exposure to dangerous chemical fumes.

Placek said Wednesday that while he has been busy trying to put the pieces together to rebuild the shop, he can’t stop thinking about the people who responded to the fire.

“The volunteer firefighters, especially the young ones, who came out yesterday on their own time and for no pay really renewed my hope for this country,” he said.

“They not only put their lives at risk, they were as professional as could be,” he said. “I can’t put into words how impressed I was by what they did. And all day long, I’ve been getting calls from customers and people wishing me well. The kindness is truly something special.”