NOXON — Thursday marked one year since a fire burned through the heart of Noxon, taking three local business with it. While forever changed, the community has kept each other going.
The fire was reported around 5:45 a.m. on Tuesday Feb. 27, 2024. Dan Bledsoe, training officer at Noxon Rural Fire Department, remembers the morning very well.
“I was coming to work because I go to work at 6 in the morning here at the school and I could actually see the fire from across the river,” he said. “I'm thinking that I'm coming late to a fire and when I get here there's nobody here, it's me.”
Immediately, he called in the flames and started up the engines. Fire Chief Jim Byler and more crews were not far behind.
“When we got there it was like World War II. I mean it was all you could see was flames. Complete rain,” Byler said. “From there we just started setting up and pumping water the best we could.”
Despite their best efforts, the flames overtook the Angry Beaver General Store, Toby’s Tavern and the Noxon Mercantile. Angry Beaver Owner Teresa Jackson arrived in time to witness the devastation first-hand.
“It was completely engulfed by the time she got here and then it spread from there to Toby's and then over to the other store,” said Ryan Borgmann, Jackson’s fiancee. “And our fire department did the best they could. They brought in everybody from everywhere and just couldn't do anything.”
With those businesses gone, Noxon lost its only grocery store, only bar and much more.
“It’s been tough. It hurt everybody because most of the people here are lifetimers. The old timers used that for a hangout. Now they don't have a hangout,” Byler said. “People just ain't in and out of here like they used to be, because everybody came here for the bar.”
In the aftermath, Noxon came together by fundraising and helping each other out. But, life was different. Byler called it “the new normal.”
The town adjusted to the change, but many worked towards rebuilding while remembering the loss.
“We'll move on. But, you know, we can't get that old flavor back,” Bledsoe said. “It would be nice to see the community bounce back, but that's in the future to see and people will hang on as long as they can here and we'll do what we can.”
The crew at the Angry Beaver re-opened a smaller version of the grocery in a trailer in front of the old store and a food truck behind it.
“We wanted to have something down in Noxon for the community and we didn't want the little town to die,” Jackson said.
Just about one year after the fire, the Angry Beaver is getting a new building. The fire department is going to help unload it on Saturday.
“I feel like it's been a milestone today. I feel like we have finally come out of the rough and hopefully things will start coming together,” Jackson said.
