Cedar Rapids Weather
Firefighters Save Van Horne PharmacyBy Jillian Petrus, Reporter
VAN HORNE, Iowa - Beth Hoopes was at a bank in Marion when she received a frantic call from a colleague at her pharmacy in Van Horne.
"The pharmacist filling in for me said Long Shots is on fire," Hoopes said. "We were just shaken." Long Shots Bar and Restaurant on Van Horne's Main Street caught fire around 3 p.m. Wednesday. It took six fire crews three hours to put out the blaze. Investigators are still looking into the cause. Hoopes said standing across the street as the building burned was terrible for two reasons. "Long Shots is partially owned by one of my pharmacy technicians, Jamie," Hoopes explained. "So we were really concerned for them, but then, we're also right next door." Hoopes stood across Van Horne's Main Street for the full three hours watching fire crews work tirelessly to put out the flames. The pharmacy owner expected the worst possible outcome. "You couldn't really see because of all the smoke, so I just kind of waited until the morning to look at it. I was shocked." Shocked, because the pharmacy stayed almost entirely intact. A bit of charred siding and some water puddles in a backroom were the only signs a fire had raged just inches from the store. Hoopes says she still can't believe it. "Someone was looking out for us," she said. "The fire departments were amazing...I'm just so thankful." At the same time, Hoopes said her heart goes out to her friend and colleague now faced with the task of starting over. "They were really getting on their feet and making an awesome business of this, and it just literally went down in smoke. It's a shame." |
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