The Abingdon City Council on Thursday night decided to move forward as quickly as possible to demolish two downtown buildings damaged in a fire.
The blaze broke out early the morning of July 4, at 102 N. Main and spread next door to the old First National Bank building
Mayor Ed Swearingen tells WGIL that the City Council voted Thursday to move toward emergency demolition.
Swearingen says it’s his understanding that in emergency situations the City can move more quickly than usual toward removing the buildings.
Swearingen says the Illinois State Fire Marshal Special Investigator was in Abingdon on Wednesday but he has yet to receive a report.
Both of the buildings that burned had been vacant for some time according to Swearingen, although he remembers 100 N. Main was once a drug store and 102 N. Main was a Gamble’s store.
There’s been concern from some community members that there are stray cats inside the First National Bank building that would be harmed by demolition.
Swearingen says that as a former Abingdon Police Officer, he knows the building has contained stray cats in the past but isn’t sure if that’s still the case after the fire.
