Washington St. Fire

Feb. 11, 1989: Fire destroys the Goodrich, Porter and Kimball Block building at 60-70 Washington St. (former site of Bernie Shoe run by the Brindis family) as the downtown is making a comeback. The fire was blamed on arson, but no arrests were ever made. Fire officials said wooden floors saturated through the years with oils and other flammable materials fed the flames. Firefighters from 26 communities fought the 10-alarm blaze. The land sat vacant as a parking lot for the next 17 years.