Beggs Horry Street Chapel

The evening of April 18, 1997 was supposed to have been a night of celebration, not of disaster and near tragedy. There were not supposed to have been firefighters from near and far counties who had to come fight what our local heroes valiantly tried to fight themselves. It was not supposed to have ended with people inGreene Publishing, Inc. Photo by Tommy Greene, April 18, 1997Madison Sporting Goods is aflame as the fire leaps out in an attempt to reach another building. Firemen from several departments steadily pour water on the raging inferno.shock and business owners in tears over what they had lost as their hopes and dreams went up in flames along the 200 block of South Range Street.It was a festive night as hundreds of people had converged in downtown Madison for the start of Down Home Days and the much-anticipated performance by Becky’s Dance Steps Studio, and then the street dance.People were dancing the night away when Madison Police Chief Rick Davis spotted a group of juveniles, from ages 10 to 18, smoking in the alley which separated Madison Sporting Goods, Roebuck Barber Shop, Princess’s Place store, and Lucile’s Dress Shop, from the building which housed Base Street Florist, Madison Tae Kwon Do, and Cowart & Zane law offices. Davis ordered the youth to leave the alley, and they reportedly threw their cigarettes down as they were leaving.A few minutes later, MPD Officer Kelvin Franklin checked the alley when he saw flames coming from inside Lucile’s Dress Shop and went to summon help.Records show that Madison Fire & Rescue was called at 10:07 p.m. and the first truck arrived on the scene at 10:10 p.m.Lucile’s Dress Shop, owned by Buford and Lucile Selman, was the first shop to be consumed by the hungry fire shortly after it began.Next, Roebuck’s Barber and Beauty Shop, and Princess’s Place, owned by Jimmy and Princess Roebuck, were the next two businesses engulfed in flames.Finally, Madison Sporting Goods, owned by Alan Sowell, succumbed to the fire.Greene Publishing, Inc. Photo by Tommy Greene, April 18, 1997MP...