The White Elephant Fire

On June 18, 1994, O.J. Simpson was chased in his Ford Bronco, which is a day that many will never forget.  The next day, on June 19, 1994, something much more local happened that many of us will also remember forever.  It ruined four businesses.  It exposed almost fifty firefighters to dangerously hot temperatures on a 90+ degree day.  It brought hundreds of townsfolk out in the heat to watch a couple of old town landmarks crumble.  The fire destroyed Ginny’s, the White Elephant, Ullom’s Upholstery, and Ullom’s Specialty Cars.  The buildings are gone, now replaced by a used car lot on the east side of town on Walnut Street, surrounded by Casey’s and Associated Veterinary Clinic.

The Ginny’s building had long been a meeting place where Washingtonians could belly up to the bar and enjoy a cold one.  It changed hands several times since its inception as Casino Gardens in 1933.  The White Elephant building, which also housed Tim Ullom’s businesses, started as a bowling alley in 1940.  It became the White Elephant, a second-hand store in 1967.

Tim Ullom was working in his shop around 4:00 pm on that fateful day when he smelled smoke.  He ran outside and saw smoke coming out of a window at Ginny’s.  Quickly, he called 9-1-1 and ran back into his building to grab what he could.

By the time firefighters arrived, flames were already shooting through the roof of Ginny’s, which was to re-open in two days under the new name of Bunzie’s.  Firefighters tried to enter the tavern, but the heat was too great.

Realizing that flames had already spread to the White Elephant, the focus turned to saving Casey’s and the veterinary business.  Animals were evacuated from that building, and a perimeter was drawn around the scene as onlookers gathered.  Smoke from the fire could be seen as far away as the Greater Peoria Airport.

Firefighters continued to focus on keeping the flames away from surrounding businesses, which left the Ginny’s and White Elephant buildings defenseless to the progression of the fire.  An estimated 300 people gathered behind the police tape to watch the destruction.