What do you do when a fire fills the building you manage with smoke and soot and destroys part of one floor?

After calling tenants to tell them that the elevators won't work for a while and that they will have a mess on their hands, you find someone to clean the mess, quickly, said Denise Harfield, manager of the Lincoln Building for owner G&B Real Estate.

Built in 1963, the eight-story building at 818 W. Riverside was damaged in a fire Aug. 28 when oily rags spontaneously combusted in a second floor conference room.

Harfield watched the three-alarm fire from across the street. No one was injured.

The next day, crews already were cleaning out debris, washing walls and cleaning carpets.

"You never know how much time it will take," said Harfield, who estimated that the total cost to clean and rebuild parts of the building will top $2 million when work is completed by year's end.

"It reminds you how important it is to have adequate insurance," she said, noting the Lincoln Building damage was fully insured.

Asbestos cleanup on the first and second floors has been extensive.

Harfield said the second floor tenant, the Evans, Craven & Lackie law firm, should be able to move back in by January. The firm has temporarily relocated in the Washington Mutual Building.

The third floor, which was mostly unoccupied, also sustained heavy smoke and water damage.

Water from firefighting efforts soaked the first floor, ruining the ceiling and floor. Fortunately, much of the area was vacant, although AT&T Media Services had moved into the east side of the floor just two weeks before the fire.

Smoke and soot traveled up every stairwell, elevator shaft and vent.

The Empire Club, on the eighth floor, where a lot of smoke collected, was closed for a month while the ceiling, carpet, draperies and linens were cleaned or replaced.

"The issues that were difficult for people were the initial smoke in the building and the odors," said Harfield. If the building's windows had not been open, tenants on upper floors that sustained smoke damage might have been forced out for two weeks or more.

Everything in the building has been cleaned and cleaned again.

"There were 10 guys in the elevator shafts with sponges, cleaning every inch of them three times," said Santos Cardenas, G&B's project engineer.

Completing the work with minimal disruption to tenants is a challenge, said Gary Valkenarr, who is managing the project for fire restoration specialists Bridgeway Construction.

"We do whatever we need to do to make sure they're in a safe environment," he said. "We work nights, we work weekends, we work holidays when they are not in the building."

In addition to clean-up work, the building also is being updated. A sprinkler system is being installed as well as handicap accessible bathrooms. The lobby will have a more modern look.

"We're hoping to be ready by Christmas," said Harfield. "We'll let you know if we are able to put in a Christmas tree."

Cheney auto dealership Bonanza Ford may move to its new location near I-90 at the Four Lakes exit within four months.

General Manager Les Loy said the move will allow the dealership to more than double in size.

Bonanza Ford's current site in downtown Cheney holds just 40 cars. The new 11-acre site will hold 200-300 new cars and 200 used cars, said Loy.

"Right now we're averaging just under 100 new and used car sales a month," he said. "We're expecting to do at least double that when we move out there."

To accommodate the new business, Loy said he anticipates hiring 15 to 20 new employees.

Around town

Kumon USA has opened its first learning centers in Spokane on the South Hill and in the Valley. The math and reading tutoring center uses a Japanese-developed teaching method to improve students' performance.

Racer's Edge has opened a new outlet store at the Prime Outlets in Post Falls. The store carries motor sport helmets and clothing as well as bicycle helmets.

Northwest Investment Advisors has relocated to the Holley Mason Building at 157 S. Howard.

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