Two young girls who ran to the Salem Fire Protection District to report the fire in the rear of Steve’s Antiques at East Main and Washington Streets on April 7th were honored for their actions on Friday afternoon.
Both the Salem Fire Protection District Chief Jim Cerny and Mayor Nick Farley made presentations to 11-year-old fifth grader Ayla Crawford and 12-year-old seventh grader London Robbers.
(Left to right) Salem Mayor Nick Farley presents a Certificate of Appreciation to Ayla Crawford and London Robbers.
Cerny noted the significance of what the girls did.
Cerny said, “These young ladies provided the fire department with an early alert to the fire. If this fire had not been stopped quickly, it could have extended into the 100 and 200 blocks of East Main Street and destroyed many businesses. On behalf of the Salem Fire Protection District Board of Trustees and the Salem Fire Protection District firefighters, I would like to present you with this certificate and a Maltese cross necklace to recognize your contribution to helping us prevent a disaster. Thank you for what you have done to protect our community.”
Mayor Farley then made a presentation on behalf of the city.
Farley said, “Sometimes heroes are just ordinary people who do extraordinary things. These young ladies did something very extraordinary that a lot of people their age probably wouldn’t have done. They cared for others and were looking out for people, and those are some of the best things you can do. We say thank you on behalf of the citizens of Salem, the city council, and myself. I have two certificates here, and with this certificate, we are acknowledging your fast thinking, swift reporting of the fire on April 7th, and your courageous actions ensuring the safety and well-being of other citizens, and for that, we say thank you.”
After the presentation, Crawford explained what they did.
Crawford said, “Well, we got back from the grocery store, and I turned to see my surroundings and I saw flames in Steve’s Antique Store. We ran to the fire station and told them what happened, and they got in the fire truck and went to where the fire was spotted.”
Robbers added they wanted to help.
Robbers said, “We did it to make sure everybody was safe and nobody got hurt.”
Salem Assistant Fire Chief Bill Fulton says the State Fire Marshall’s Office is still investigating the cause of the fire but is believed to have started in the old wiring in the building’s elevator where the fire was located. He notes the wiring dated back to the original construction of the building around 1900. While the fire was stopped in the elevator shaft, there was some smoke damage throughout the building.
