Winter Storm Petros leaves its mark
<span>Cleanup from Winter Storm Petros began Thursday, as communities around the region took stock of the storm's aftermath.</span>
<span>With heavy snow and winds gusting up to 45 mph, the storm felled trees, brought down power lines, started a fire in one house and caused electrical damage in at least three others.</span>
<span>With the full fury of the storm upon them, firefighters from four different departments battled a house fire at 601 W. Pine St. in Percy on Wednesday morning.</span>
<span>According to Percy Fire Chief Dale Fisk, the single-family dwelling - owned by Keith and Marge Hartman - is a total loss.</span>
<span>No one was inside at the time of the fire.</span>
<span>"It was definitely an electrical anomaly," Fisk said. "We had three other instances away from the house of some kind of surge down the line."</span>
<span>Fisk told the Herald Tribune he suspects a tree limb got into some power lines due to the high winds and caused the surge.</span>
<span>"It was quite the working fire," he said. "We haven't had a working one like that in a long time. It takes a lot out of you with your air packs.</span>
<span>"We were starting to go through people pretty quick."</span>
<span>Steeleville, Willisville and Cutler fire departments were paged for mutual aid, mainly for manpower as the weather fought the firefighters at every turn.</span>
<span>Nine of Fisk's 12-man volunteer roster were able to respond to the call.</span>
<span>"The wind did not help the situation at all," Fisk said. "We were chasing (the fire) all over the place.</span>
<span>"It definitely made visibility on the ground around the house zero because (the wind) was pushing the smoke down on top of us while we were trying to work the fire."</span>
<span>Percy firefighters cleared the scene around 1:45 p.m.</span>
<span>"It was a very labor-intensive fire and we fought it pretty hard," Fisk said. "Old homes built like this with balloon framing, there's no fire stops in the stud walls."</span>
<span>In Chester, Evergreen Cemetery - one of Southern Illinois' oldest and the resting place of Illinois' first governor, Shadrach Bond - was hit particularly hard with significant tree damage.</span>
<span>"These trees just can't handle the wet snow and wind," said Cemetery Sexton Mark Gibbs.</span>
<span>At the Randolph County Courthouse, the storm further exasperated the facility's leaking roof - with water dripping from the ceiling, light fixtures and speakers in Associate Circuit Judge Gene Gross's courtroom on Thursday.</span>
<span>"We can't use the courtroom because of the leaking roof and water all over the judge's bench and electronic equipment," said Circuit Judge Richard A. Brown.</span>
<span>Brown and Randolph County State's Attorney Jeremy Walker showed the Herald Tribune the damage and once again stressed the need for voters to approve the $2.95 million referendum on the March 15 ballot - which would authorize desperately-needed repairs to the courthouse and jail.</span>
<span>"This plaster fell down a few years ago, this is a long issue," Walker said. "They replaced it and you can see where the leak has come back.</span>
<span>"It was leaking Monday of last week and we had to put trash cans out when we were doing court. It was a minor leak, but you can see (Thursday) how it is coming out of electrical fixtures."</span>
<span>Walker spoke to the Chester Chamber of Commerce on Feb. 18 about the importance of the referendum and how urgently it is needed.</span>
<span>"(Thursday's damage) clearly demonstrates what is being proposed is necessary," Walker said. "These repairs absolutely need to be done because long-term, you can imagine what this is doing to the structure of this building."</span>
<span>Brown commended the County Board for their efforts in trying to find a way to get the repairs completed.</span>
"I commend them for their efforts into having the roof replaced," he said. "I understand and will work with them on their efforts to get the bond referendum passed."