HOUSTON – A sculpture dedicated to firefighters was unveiled at Gallery Furniture the day before the store reopens following a four-alarm fire that destroyed its warehouse, KPRC Local 2 reports.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives determined that the fire at Gallery Furniture's warehouse at 6006 North Freeway on May 21 was intentionally set.
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The fire gutted the warehouse, destroying it and the millions of dollars worth of furniture inside. Damage is estimated to be between $15 million and $25 million.
The fire did not spread to the store's main showroom, but the sprinklers inside it went off and caused extensive damage. Dozens of customers were inside the showroom when the fire started. No one was injured.
More than 120 firefighters from 31 HFD stations fought the blaze. A sculpture was placed outside the store to forever thank them for their efforts. It was made from warehouse ruins.
"I kept watching them come out of the fire, exhausted by the heat, exhausted from the work they were doing, yet they never complained," McIngvale said. "They just worked and worked and worked. At the end of the day, they saved the world's greatest furniture store."
The store was set to reopen to the public on July 4. Owner Jim "Mattress Mack" McIngvale said the store and warehouse would reopen in phases. He hopes to have the project completed by his 59th birthday in February.
In June, McIngvale announced that he was donating $10,000 gift certificates to each station through the Adopt-A-Fire Station Program.