Remote Work Life

BALL GAMES, ESPECIALLY COMING UP HERE IN JUST A FEW MINUTES. CHRIS THANK YOU. IT HAS BEEN TWO WEEKS SINCE A LARGE FIRE DESTROYED SEVERAL BUILDINGS IN DOWNTOWN CLINTON, AND A CAUSE HAS NOT YET BEEN DETERMINED. TODAY, BUSINESS OWNERS ARE TRYING TO MOVE FORWARD AND REBUILD AFTER LOSING THEIR LIVELIHOODS. OUR REY LLERENA JOINS US LIVE ALONG MUSGROVE STREET WITH MORE REA. IF THE WIND PICKS UP LIKE IT IS RIGHT NOW, NIGEL AND SYDNEY, YOU CAN STILL SMELL THE BURNT WOOD AND MATERIALS. WEEKS AFTER THIS FIRE STARTED. TAKE A LOOK AND AS YOU CAN SEE, THERES STILL MATERIALS THERE LAYING ON THE GROUND NOW. BUSINESS OWNERS SAY THEYRE STILL TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO REBUILD WHILE INVESTIGATORS LEARN MORE ABOUT WHAT MAY HAVE CAUSED THIS FIRE TO START. WEVE BEEN IN THAT LOCATION FOR 31 YEARS AND SO THERES A LOT OF MEMORIES. DOCTOR TOM MCMILLAN, REMEMBERING HIS FORMER OFFICE ON MUSGROVE STREET, DESTROYED BY THE AUGUST 27TH FIRE. ONCE WE GOT OUT THE FRONT DOOR AND LOOKED BACK, WE COULD SEE THE FIRE THAT HAD ENGULFED THE BACK OF HOUSE OF PIZZA. AND. AND THEN FOR THE NEXT COUPLE OF HOURS, WE JUST SAT AND WATCHED, YOU KNOW, THE 3 OR 4 BUSINESSES RIGHT AROUND US BURN UP. MCMILLAN SAYS HE LOST EVERYTHING IN THE FIRE EXCEPT FOR PATIENT RECORDS THAT WERE STORED DIGITALLY. HE HAS SET UP TEMPORARILY DOWN THE STREET THANKS TO A DONATION FROM A LOCAL BUSINESSMAN. A WEIRD MOMENTS, YOU THINK, OH, WELL, YOU KNOW, WHAT ABOUT THAT? AND THEN YOU REALIZE THAT THAT WAS GONE. SO? SO ITS BEEN AN EMOTIONAL ROLLER COASTER. JIM SPRY IS THE MAIN STREET DIRECTOR AND A CO-OWNER OF ASPEN AND FIGS, AN ARTISAN SHOP THAT ALSO BURNED. YOU CANT EVEN START THE PROCESS TO GET IN AND START CLEANING UP OR ANYTHING. SPRY SAYS HE AND HIS WIFE ARE WORKING WITH THEIR INSURANCE TO PAY ARTISANS FOR THE LOST WORK. BUT HE SAYS DOWNTOWN TOOK A BIG HIT WITH THE FIRE. THE BUSINESSES THAT THAT ARE NOT OPEN NOW WERE RESPONSIBLE FOR A LOT OF THE FOOT TRAFFIC THAT COMES INTO DOWNTOWN, YOU KNOW, LUNCH CROWDS AND THINGS WITH HOUSE OF PIZZA, AS THEY EXPECTED, A LENGTHY REBUILD BEGINS. YOU KNOW, YOU NEVER THINK ITS GOING TO HAPPEN. AND THEN, OF COURSE, IT HAPPENS. SO ITS BUT BUT AGAIN, WEVE BEEN VERY THANKFUL AGAIN THAT NOBODY WAS HURT. RAY OF COURSE, THESE BUSINESSES ARE A STAPLE IN THIS COMMUNITY. SO HOW IS THE COMMUNITY HELPING OUT THESE BUSINESSES. SYDNEY ORGANIZERS TODAY ANNOUNCED THAT THERE WILL BE A BLOCK PARTY HAPPENING HERE ON MUSGROVE STREET ON SEPTEMBER 22ND, AND ORGANIZERS SAY ALL PROCEEDS WILL GO TO THE BUSINESSES THAT WERE AFFECTED. REPORTING LIVE I