Fire guts Amethyst House

The Bloomington Fire Department responded to a 4:36 a.m. call Friday from the Amethyst House men's center, located at 215 N. Rogers Street. No one was injured.\nBFD Captain Timothy Richards said a fire began smoldering in an enclosed porch that was the designated "smoking room" for Amethyst House residents. The suspected cause of the blaze was a space heater located in that room, Richards said, although the investigation has not been concluded. Whether the source of the blaze was the result of flammable material left near the heater, or a malfunction within the appliance itself has yet to be determined.\nRichards' crew was the first to respond to the call. He said smoke from the fire could be seen from several blocks away. \nAlthough the building looks relatively unscathed on the outside, Richards said the fire "gutted" the interior.\n"It's a total loss," Richards said. "It doesn't look bad from the outside but the inside suffered a lot of structural damage."\nThe fire was contained within about 15 minutes but was not completely out for an hour. The building had been remodeled several times, Richards said, and the multiple layers in the roof and walls created "void spaces" where the fire continued to burn. These sections of the house were difficult for firefighters to track down and extinguish.\nResidents of the house awoke to smoke alarms and evacuated the house.\nBFD Battalion Chief Terry Williams said early morning fires result in more deaths than other times of day.\n"We were very lucky that no one was injured or killed," Williams said.\nThe Amethyst House, which has been part of the Bloomington community for 21 years, functions as transitional residence for individuals struggling with substance abuse. The organization offers separate centers for men and women.\nDaniel Miller, president of the Amethyst House board of directors, said the board met on Friday and was "stunned" by the event but glad that no one was hurt. He said the board has set both long- and short-term goals to remedy the situation. \nThe first order of business was to find the center's residents temporary housing, which has been established at Second and Morton Street until long-term interim housing can be found. Most of the residents' belongings were destroyed in the fire, and a number of organizations have provided them with food and clothing.\n"The outpouring of support from the community has been phenomenal," Miller said.\nThe long-term goal is to rebuild the center, which will have to be done from the ground up and will take six months to a year, Miller said. He added that the Amethyst House is a crucial service to the community.\n"(The Amethyst House) is a source...for men recovering from addiction," Miller said. "It's always full and there's always a waiting list. If (residents) didn't have this they would probably be on the street or using again, so it's critical. There's an absolute, definite need and the house will be rebuilt."\nIn a statement released on Friday, Bloomington Mayor John Fernandez called for community support in re-establishing the Amethyst House.\n"We are very grateful no one was injured in the fire," Fernandez said. "But Bloomington lost one of its most important buildings (Friday) morning, one where critical services were provided that benefited, not only its residents, but the whole community. I am confident the community will join together and help the men's Amethyst House get back on its feet"