Fire destroys historic Offerle building

Offerle lost a 97-year-old link to its past when the building at 120 S. Main St. burned down early Friday morning.
    Firefighters from Offerle and Kinsley were dispatched to the fire at about 12:30 a.m. and had it under control by 3:30 a.m., Offerle city superintendent and assistant fire chief Mark Lampe told the Globe. Smoke from the burning building drifted across U.S. Highway 50, forcing authorities to close the road for about an hour.
    Firefighters made certain that the fire did not spread to any neighboring buildings, including the post office and the Offerle's Taco restaurant, Lampe said.
    "That was my main concern, was keeping those from being destroyed," he said. "Our guys did a real good job."
    One firefighter suffered minor injuries when he was struck by a flying brick from the building's crumbling walls, but no other injuries were reported.
    Lampe said the building was a total loss, but he did not know how much it was worth.
    The state fire marshal has not yet determined what caused the fire, but Lampe thought electricity had contributed to the blaze since the building still had power.
    A hotel occupied the site at 120 S. Main in the late 1800s, but that building was later moved to another location.
    Then in 1912, the Offerle family erected a two-story building at 120 S. Main, said Ted Taylor, curator of the Edwards County Historical Society Museum. Partners Abner Offerle, Harry Offerle and Will Sands started a grocery store at that address, which became a town landmark.
    The building had remained vacant ever since its last business, Abner's Grocery Store, closed in 1980. The current owner, Victor Bennett, was apparently using it for storage.
    Taylor said he first heard about the fire when a reporter called him about it on Friday.
    "It was kind of a shock because if you've ever gone down (Highway) 50 going to Dodge City, it's just one of your landmarks," he said. "It was a landmark, and it'll be sad not to see it."
    Lampe, who has lived in Offerle for 22 years, said the town's residents were saddened by the loss.
    "A lot of them were disappointed because it was a landmark, right on the corner of Main and along the highway and everything," he said. "It kind of hurt."

Reach Eric Swanson at (620) 408-9917 or e-mail him at eric.swanson@dodgeglobe.com.