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By Nicole Orne, Reformer Staff Photos: Zachary P. Stephens/Reformer Monday, May 5 PUTNEY -- Flames consumed the third floor of the Putney General Store late Saturday night, with firefighters from a number of departments working into the morning to put out the fire. With Route 5 closed to traffic, a number of people huddled around watching the scene. Many felt the loss of a community gathering place. "It's where people gather," an employee said. "It's a place where old people get their coffee and people go to get videos. I think the community is going to be there for the owners." The call came in at 9:52 p.m., officials said, and the first responders arrived in about five minutes to find the top of the building fully involved. Putney Fire Chief Tom Goddard said there was heavy water damage to the bottom two floors, but the fire had not spread down. Firefighters also fought extensions spreading into the building next door, which holds Offerings Jewelry. "There's no known cause yet," Goddard said. State fire investigators were expected Sunday, he said, but the fire was not considered suspicious. The building is one of the town's oldest, built in 1769 and converted from a grist mill to a store in 1843. Craig Stead, an engineer who Advertisement has worked on many of the buildings in town, said the attic did not have a sprinkler system. He guessed the age of the building and the old wiring that goes with that likely contributed to the fire. General Store owner Erhan Oge would not comment at the scene. An employee said the owners, Oge and his wife, Tugce Okumus, had put their lives into the store. The couple bought the store roughly two years ago. "All their days, all their nights, they worked all the time to keep the place going," she said as she watched the building burn. "It's so sad. These people are very hard working. They care about the people in the area." The front windows and walls displayed local artists' work and a community bulletin board. The store's Web site mentions work the couple had hoped to do to the store, including new wide board flooring, new refrigeration units and adding more variety in food items, including ethnic foods. Oge also owns Putney Pizza, across the street from the General Store. Vermont departments from Dummerston, Putney, Brattleboro, Westminster, Guilford, Vernon, Bellows Falls and New Hampshire departments from Charlestown, Westmoreland, Spofford, Walpole, Keene and Chesterfield worked on the scene. Rescue Inc. and Vermont State Police also responded. Chesterfield, N.H., and Vernon covered the stations.
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