Gatesville Square Relief Benefit tops $43,528 for fire recovery

Amber Tippit put checks into the hands of Gatesville workers this week as the Gatesville Square Relief Benefit climbed to $43,528.19, a figure that shows how much of downtown’s recovery is still being carried by private donations months after the fire. David Scott and Ally Hinkle, who worked under the former ownership of The Gatesville Messenger, were among those receiving assistance after losing personal work equipment and other belongings in the blaze.

The March 16 fire began around 6:30 p.m. in the A Freedom Bail Bonds building on the west side of the courthouse square and quickly spread through a full city block. No fatalities were reported, but three firefighters suffered minor smoke inhalation injuries. U.S. Route 84, also known as Main Street, was closed through downtown after the fire and reopened the next day, while smoldering continued to be reported late into March as the west side of the square remained closed for the foreseeable future.

Investigators later determined the fire was not intentionally set and said it originated in The Gatesville Messenger building, even though early reports showed smoke from the A Freedom Bail Bonds side. The fire destroyed or damaged several historic downtown businesses, including Leaird’s Furniture, founded in 1898, The Gatesville Messenger, which began publishing in 1887, A Freedom Bail Bonds and Davidson Chiropractic. The newspaper also lost archived editions from the 1930s, adding another layer of loss beyond the burned structures themselves.

The relief effort moved quickly from emergency response to organized rebuilding support. The Gatesville Square Relief Benefit was held downtown on April 25 from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., drawing hundreds of people and raising $30,872.11 by April 27 before later deposits pushed the total to $43,528.19. Tippit had said half the money would be divided among employees affected by the fire and half would support the fire departments that responded, including the Gatesville Fire Department, Copperas Cove Fire Department, Coryell City Volunteer Fire Department, Evant Volunteer Fire Department, Flat Volunteer Fire Department, Grove Volunteer Fire Department, Jonesboro Volunteer Fire Department, Levita Volunteer Fire Department, Oglesby Volunteer Fire Department and Turnersville Volunteer Fire Department.

The recovery effort now has entered a more difficult phase. Demolition on the burned structures began June 16, and asbestos in some buildings required wet demolition. Rexall Demolition and Construction Company of McGregor was hired by the property owners, while the west side of the courthouse square, now part of the Gatesville Downtown Historic District added to the National Register of Historic Places in January, still faces the longer haul of cleanup, rebuilding and reopening.