[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 66 (Monday, May 19, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4668-S4669]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      THE RAPID CITY FIRE OF 1997

  Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, last week a fire devastated downtown 
Rapid City, consuming the historic Sweeney Building in a furious blaze 
that threatened to destroy the entire block. Only the heroic efforts of 
the Rapid City Fire Department and emergency workers from all over the 
county ensured that the damage, as severe as it was, was contained.
  This terrible blaze took a much-loved part of our heritage from us. 
The Sweeney Building had towered over Rapid City for 111 years, and was 
one of the oldest buildings in the Black Hills. Its builder, Tom 
Sweeney, was legendary. His name and slogan ``Tom Sweeney Wants to See 
You'' were famous throughout the hills, and his showmanship put Buffalo 
Bill to shame. His store was full of everything from gold pans to 
wagons for the early pioneers, and it was said that he could--and did--
sell anything. Tom's store is gone now, and it will be missed.
  Although part of our past, the Sweeney Building also was a vibrant 
part of our present. Seven businesses located in the building were lost 
in the Rapid City fire. They ranged from the State Barbershop, where 
Vern Johnson cut hair for 37 years, to the 1-week-old Blue Moon 
nightclub. No one is yet

[[Page S4669]]

sure how the fire started, but shortly after firefighters arrived to 
investigate reports of smoke, a broken window fed the fire with a 
sudden rush of oxygen. The result was a fiery explosion that shattered 
storefront windows and blew out the rear wall of the building, causing 
a rain of bricks to fall on Larry and Mike Blote, two owners of the 
building, and Pat Dobbs, a reporter for the Rapid City Journal. 
Thankfully, they had just minor injuries.
  Soon after the explosion, Fire Chief Owen Hibbard made the difficult 
decision to retreat from the building. Few choices are more painful for 
firefighters. They are by nature people whose instincts urge them to 
save and preserve, and to fight a fire until the end. Yet as the flames 
of the Sweeney Building climbed higher and 40 mph winds blew cinders 
and sparks onto the roofs of neighboring buildings, Chief Hibbard 
recognized that the out-of-control blaze could destroy the entire 
block. Ordering his people back, he formed a defensive line around the 
fire and began the difficult work of containing it. Over the next 2 
hours, with the sounds of exploding gunpowder and ammunition thundering 
from the burning First Stop Gun and Coin shop, the firefighters labored 
to cool nearby buildings and reduce the intensity of the blaze. By 4 
p.m., the fire had been successfully contained, and dozens of homes and 
businesses that could have been destroyed were saved.
  Mr. President, I commend the Rapid City Fire Department for their 
outstanding job containing this fire. It is due to their preplanning, 
training, and strong leadership that no one sustained serious injuries, 
despite dangerous circumstances ranging from backdraft explosions to 
ricocheting bullets. I also want to thank Mayor Jim Shaw for his calm 
and solid leadership throughout this crisis. The loss of the Sweeney 
Building has been difficult, especially for those men and women who 
lost their livelihood, but I am confident that, together, we will 
recover.
  I yield the floor and I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Ms. Collins). The clerk will call the roll.
  The bill clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. THOMAS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. THOMAS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to speak for 7 
minutes as in morning business.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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