LONDON, Ky. (FOX 56) — The flames may be out, but the damage left behind is hard to miss.

London Mayor Randall Weddle said firefighters were returning from a crash scene early Tuesday morning when they noticed smoke coming from a building on Main Street. That quick response kept the fire from spreading to other buildings.

Weddle said just last week, the fire department was at risk due to proposed staffing cuts and budget concerns from the city council.

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“Thankfully, you know, we didn’t lose an entire fire department because of these ordinances,” Weddle said.

He said this fire served as a reality check, and if staffing had been reduced to just two paid firefighters, the outcome could have been far worse.

While the council passed an emergency ordinance preventing the loss of the entire department, Weddle said six positions were still cut.

“I hope the reality is that we will put the petty politics aside and realize that our actions could have real impact on the people that live here and business owners,” Weddle said. “In the future, if there’s more cuts, it’s going to have real impact on these types of responses.”

The following day, the smoke still lingered in the air. An executive order was in place to avoid Fourth Street. Weddle said engineers determined the outside walls could collapse.

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Scottie Seeley, 56, was accused of starting the fire and pleaded not guilty during his arraignment on Wednesday.

Weddle said police believed Seeley was under the influence of drugs at the time of the incident.

“He was down in the basement portion of it [the building], and then he had made a statement coming out of where they had found him. You know, he said, ‘It caught so quick he couldn’t get out,’ and that’s why he almost burned up inside there as well,” Weddle said.

The city lost a piece of history with this fire. The building, which was the home to two law firms, had been around since the 1890s.

Mayor Weddle said the next step was for building owners and engineers to determine how the structure would be safely demolished.

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