Glacier Bank branch a total loss after morning blaze
A member of the Eureka Volunteer Fire Department sprays water on to Glacier Bank late Thursday morning in Eureka. The bank caught fire in the pre-dawn hours and continued to smolder into the afternoon.
John Hannay, assistant chief for the Eureka Volunteer Fire Department, puts up tape around what's left of the Glacier Bank on Thursday in Eureka. At noon, the building continued to smolder and was firefighters were still not able to enter the premises.
The Eureka Volunteer Fire Department works to put out the last fire at Glacier Bank at 222 Dewey Avenue on Thursday afternoon in Eureka.
Glacier Bank President Bob Nystuen said the company’s Eureka branch is a total loss after an early morning fire tore through the building early Thursday morning.
The cause of the fire, which was reported at about 4 a.m., is not known. No one was in the building at the time and no injuries have been reported.
Eureka Volunteer Fire Department Assistant Chief John Hannay, still on the scene along U.S. 93 at about noon Thursday, said the fire caused the roof of the building to collapse.
About 20 volunteer firefighters fought the flames and several still were directing water to hot spots Thursday afternoon. U.S. 93, which runs through town, was temporarily closed and traffic was rerouted but it was reopened Thursday morning.
“It didn’t take long and it was all gone,” said Nystuen, who is out of the area on business but is helping coordinate the recovery effort.
Nystuen said the bank’s 11 Eureka employees will remain on the company payroll; some of them are operating out of the Eureka branches of the Whitefish Credit Union and First Interstate Bank.
Glacier’s competitors are offering assistance and providing space and resources for customers and staff of the burned bank. Nystuen said a search is under way for a temporary or permanent place for the branch to relocate.
“Our competitors have opened their doors to us and our customers at a time when we need aid and assistance and we’re happy about that,” he said. “That’s what they do in Eureka.”
Nystuen said no irreplaceable documentation was lost in the fire, and that he suspects a vault prevented any cash from being destroyed. The money is federally insured in either case, he said.
A security company has been hired to protect the site, he said.
“I just want to send a big message of appreciation to our responders and thank everyone for the support,” he said.
A satellite office owned by Whitefish-based law firm Hedman, Hileman and Lacosta also was destroyed in the fire, according to attorney Clif Hayden. He said the office was generally used as a location for attorneys to meet with clients in the area, and that the firm likely will borrow space and continue operating nearby.