By Brian Brueggemann
The Belleville News-Democrat
MARISSA, Ill. — Two more buildings caught fire Friday night in Marissa, making it six suspicious fires in recent days.
One of the fires Friday destroyed the Academy Building on Main Street. It’s a landmark that once was a school building and later became the home for the local historical society and its museum. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Mayor Jerry Cross said the building, erected in 1891, was a treasure for the town.
“It basically housed the history of Marissa -- a lot of coal-mining memorabilia, a lot about the school and the town. You name it, it was in there,” Cross said. “All that’s just gone -- stuff you can’t replace.”
The fire was discovered shortly before midnight. Flames were coming through the roof before firefighters were able to get the blaze under control.
About an hour after the first fire was discovered, a second fire was discovered a few blocks away, at a large storage shed. The second building also had heavy damage.
The state fire marshal’s office was called in to investigate Friday night’s fires. Cross said members of the town’s historical society were waiting Saturday morning for permission to go into what remains of the building, in hope of salvaging artifacts.
“We’d like to get in there and get what we can out of it, but I don’t think we’re going to be able to salvage much. Maybe some plates and memorabilia, but no documents or paper stuff,” Cross said.
He added, “It’s sad for me, for the town. I had my granddaughter in there last year during the Coal Festival, showing her things. I was a coal miner.”
Early on the morning of Jan. 25, three fires were discovered at small outbuildings or sheds in Marissa. Those three fires, believed to be the work of an arsonist, were started in outbuildings along the same alleyway along South Main Street.
Investigators also have determined that a fire which gutted a two-story Marissa home on Jan. 21 was intentionally set. The home was on Park Street. Three residents of the home got out unharmed.
Some Marissa residents have been calling on their neighbors to turn their outside lights on to discourage the arsonist from coming back.
Cross said residents are understandably concerned.
“Yeah, it puts people on edge. But we’re doing everything we can, police-wise,” he said.
The mayor said Marissa’s volunteer fire department responded quickly to the museum fire and fought it hard, with help from a number of neighboring fire departments.
“But it’s a total loss,” he said.
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