Fire guts Fox Street business
by Lenny Roberts

A fire of undetermined origin completely destroyed Enchanted Prints on Fox Street Tuesday night, leaving its uninsured owner with nothing but 14 years of memories.
Jessica Murray, who heads the adjacent Community Assistance Program at 210 Fox Street, arrived at Doojie Seliger's nearby home at about 10:30 p.m. with the bad news.
"I had received a call from a volunteer that the building was on fire, and I knew about where they lived. I knocked on his door and he got up and I told him his place was burning. What a rude awakening," Murray said.
Seliger, husband of local artist and Ojai Valley News cartoonist Colleen McDougal, said the business was a total loss. He would have to call all of those who had projects in different stages of completion and tell them that their orders would not be filled.
"What a shocker," he said. "One of the weirdest things about this is that all I was thinking about was getting the paperwork out for the (Fourth of July) fireworks show," of which he is in charge.
Seliger said the first thing he did when he arrived was provide an on-the-spot diagram of the interior of the building and the location of chemicals and solvents used in silk-screening T-shirts so that firefighters would not be injured by exploding flammable liquids.
County Fire Public Information Officer Joe Luna said two firefighters were injured while fighting the flames at the 5,000-square-foot, single-story, two-unit commercial building, Station 23 firefighter Jason Rangel was treated at the Ojai Valley Community Hospital for first- and second-degree burns to his hand and an unidentified firefighter was treated at the scene for heat exhaustion.
County Fire Station 21 on East Ojai Avenue was first to arrive on-scene at 10:21 p.m., five minutes after being dispatched, followed by five other engine companies, assorted support equipment, two battalion chiefs, a fire investigator, a safety officer and a duty chief.
The fire was contained at 10:32, and reported out at 3:58 a.m. Wednesday. Mop-up procedures continued until 4:40 a.m.
The area of origin of the fire has not yet been determined, nor has the cause of the fire.
Preliminary reports indicate the structure was valued at $350,000 with a $125,000 loss, and a total loss to the contents, valued at $30,000.
Among the non-business items lost were several personal computers Macs and PCs that Seliger had solicited from people to refurbish and give to students who could not otherwise afford them.
"I had about four of them ready to go," he said. "It's fun to see these little kids when you give them something. If people do have some old computers, talk to the teachers, find out who needs one and give them to the kids."
Seliger wished to thank Ojai resident and Ventura County Fire Chief Bob Roper, Ojai Mayor Pro Tem Joe Devito, Julie Tumamait-Stenslie, Sergio Aragones and others who showed support during and after the blaze.
The Ojai Valley News has established an emergency account to help sustain Seliger and McDougal until Enchanted Prints can relocate. Contributions can be dropped off at 408A Bryant Circle, made payable to the McDougal/Seliger Fire disaster Fund, or be made directly to the Ojai Valley Bank on Maricopa Highway.

© 2002 The Ojai Valley News

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