Firefighters working to contain a devastating fire in the Cascade building in downtown Kennewick entered a neighboring business at 6:30 a.m. Feb. 4, 2022, a Friday.

Dennis Schoeneberg, who has owned Desert Gem & Appraisal since 2019, got a notification when the alarm on the door rang through to his phone.

He raced downtown, and, along with neighboring business owners, waited across the street, watching crews led by the Kennewick Fire Department work to contain the dramatic flames at the corner of Kennewick and Cascade avenues.

The fire reduced the two-story building at 306 W. Kennewick Ave. to a shell of its former self. Fighting it sent rivers of water into the neighboring building that contained Desert Gem and Foodies Kennewick, a restaurant.

Schoeneberg and fellow business owners gathered in the Sports Page Bar and Grill, across Kennewick Avenue, and watched in a state of shock.

The fire forced residents and businesses out, including Desert Gem and Foodies.

One year later, the Cascade building is under repair and most of the affected businesses have reopened.

Desert Gem is back in business at its original location. Foodies reopened a mile or so away in Columbia Park. The Lady Bug Shoppe moved to a nearby building. An insurance company and a janitorial company remain in business, but not downtown.

Schoeneberg said Desert Gem was fortunate. His inventory of gems and jewelry was tucked safely in his fireproof safe for the night. The debacle claimed display gear and paper goods, but not the shop’s prized contents.

For almost five months, he operated out of loaned space at JD’s Time Center, a nearby business. His shop was completely rebuilt, with new floors, ceilings and sheet rock. He moved back June 14.

Insurance helped cover the losses and the down time. That was the key, he said.

“We hate writing that check every month, but it’s made the whole process doable.”

That’s good advice, said Neal Wilson, who operated Neal Wilson Insurance in a small office at the Cascade building.

His agency, which is affiliated with Mosaic, sells insurance for auto, home, car and vehicles, among other products.

In the days after the fire, he said he could operate from anywhere he could get an internet connection. He lamented the loss of furniture and computers that could be replaced and artwork, including drawings by his children, that could not.

One year on, his assessment proved correct. The desks, computers and furniture were a loss. His files were in fireproof cabinets and survived. Even if they hadn’t, his data was backed up on the cloud.

Insurance covered the damage, including the higher cost of leasing new office space in western Kennewick.

The experience was challenging but gave him a renewed sense of the importance of the products he sells.

“Fortunately, I had insurance coverage to pay for all that and the loss of use,” he said. “It actually validates how I always ran the insurance business.”

His new office, 30 S. Louisiana St., is off West Clearwater Avenue, near Excalibur car Auto Group.

It turned out the artwork he treasured was salvageable. He reframed it. No amount of insurance could replace drawings by his children.

“My youngest daughter is 28,” he said.

Heather and Jeremy Skinnell were at home when news alerts flashed across Jeremy’s phone. He told his wife they needed to head to work early. The Cascade building, home to their Squeaky Clean Janitorial business, was on fire.

Heather Skinnell recalled spending the day in shock. The fire departments let the couples remove vans away from the property, but she left depressed.

Days later, a restoration contractor allowed them in – improperly it turned out. They retrieved four loads of furniture, equipment and supplies before being chased out of the building, which had been condemned. She estimates business losses at $3,000.

“It could have been worse,” she said.

Skinnell said she didn’t let herself dwell on the damage long. She decided to face the situation and get back to work almost immediately.

The couple continued the business, operating from their garage. They haven’t been able to replicate the downtown Kennewick location though. Nothing else offers the right combination of a central location, safe neighborhood and affordable rent.

“It’s tricky. We just make it work,” she said.

Cindy Mosley-Cleary, owner of The Lady Bug Shoppe, was in some ways the face of the fire. She had painted birches and cardinals – signs of hope – in the shop window for the 2021 Christmas shopping season, a critical time for her gifts and home goods store. The shop owner and her colorful window were featured in a pre-fire holiday story in the Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business.

She was featured again afterward. Her birch-and-cardinal painting survived the fire and remains a sign of hopeful new beginnings in early 2023.

The fire didn’t reach her store. But the water and smoke did.

She said the ceiling tiles collapsed, forming a soggy paste over her inventory of C.C. beanies, Pop Its, key chains, toys and other items – ruining everything.

It was a total loss, for which she was partly insured.

She reopened in July at 321 W. Kennewick Ave., which is near the old location. She considered joining the Public Market @ Columbia River Warehouse in the former Welch’s juice plant but decided to stay in her current spot.

A year later, she said she runs a leaner business. It takes time to assemble the kind of inventory she lost. She doesn’t want to run the risk of losing it again.

“We’re still in business,” she said. “We still have people realizing we reopened.”

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