BLAZE DESTROYS TAX PREPARER'S MEMORABILIA-FILLED OFFICE.Byline: EUGENE TONG tong 1 tr.v. tonged, tong·ing, tongs To seize, hold, or manipulate with tongs. [Back-formation from tongs. Staff Writer BURBANK -- With the official start of tax season just a few weeks away, a local tax-preparation business was scrambling to find a new home Wednesday after a fire tore through its building. The Tuesday night blaze reduced some paper records to ash -- most data are backed up electronically -- and destroyed a collection of circus-themed and pop memorabilia amassed by its owners over the years. Statues of Bob's Big Boy and Colonel Sanders Harland David Sanders, better known as Colonel Sanders (September 9, 1890 – December 16, 1980) was the founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC). His image is omnipresent in the chain's advertising and packaging. donated by local propmasters escaped unscathed. ``It makes me heartsick heart·sick adj. Profoundly disappointed; despondent. heart  sick ,'' Paul Router, co-owner of Raven
Paul & Co., said Wednesday from his firm's San Dimas office.
``But all you have to do is put your nose to the grindstone grindstoneor grind common metaphor for industriousness. [Pop. Culture: Misc.] See : Industriousness and get on with it.'' The blaze at 4411 W. Magnolia Blvd. was reported about 6:50 p.m. Router, 65, of San Dimas said he was working alone when he smelled smoke. ``I started looking and opened one of the doors,'' he said. ``It had flames inside. It was dark, and the light almost blinded me.'' He escaped from the building and called 911, Burbank Fire Marshal fire marshal n. 1. The head of a department or office that is charged with the prevention and investigation of fires. 2. A person in charge of firefighting personnel and equipment at an industrial plant. Noun 1. Frank Walbert said. Investigators sifted through the building's charred skeletal remains Wednesday to try to determine the cause. It did not appear to be suspicious. The blaze caused about $300,000 damage to the one-story building, but no one was injured in·jure tr.v. in·jured, in·jur·ing, in·jures 1. To cause physical harm to; hurt. 2. To cause damage to; impair. 3. . ``The tough part is to go get another facility and get organized three weeks before the tax season,'' he said. Fire officials estimated the cost of the contents at more than $100,000, though their value for Router could be immeasurable. Router and partner Raven Besso moved their financial services The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view of the subject. Please [ improve this article] or discuss the issue on the talk page. firm to Burbank in 1982. A plaque in the rear of the building commemorates the year. ``We specialized in the entertainment field and had 2,200 clients that are involved in the industry,'' he said. Over the years, clients from local prop houses would bring over old props that appealed to Router's eclectic tastes. Among them were a 1940s slot machine and a vintage carousel horse. ``It was one of the horses off the Santa Monica Pier The Santa Monica Pier is located at the foot of Colorado Avenue in Santa Monica, California and is a prominent landmark. Attractions The pier contains Pacific Park, a family amusement park with a large ferris wheel. merry-go-round,'' Router said. ``There were just so much memorabilia. It's not something you can put a dollar figure on.'' eugene.tong(at)dailynews.com (818) 546-3304 CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Fire destroyed Raven Paul & Co. tax and financial services' office Tuesday night in Burbank. The owner, a collector of memorabilia, kept statues of various kinds on the property. David Sprague/Staff Photographer |
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