During the night of March 22 and the early-morning hours of March 23, William “Bill” Bell, Commander of Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2380, witnessed something that no veteran or community leader would ever hope to experience — a fire blazing through his VFW post, located at 510 S. Alabama Ave. in DeLand.
“That was the worst weekend that I can remember in a long time,” Bell told Beacon staff. “The first fire was called on Friday night, [and] the Fire Department left about 1 a.m. … All of the doors had to be broken in, so all the doors were just hanging there.”
Bell stayed on the property overnight, as the damaged structure remained open to potential trespassing. Bell described a sense of responsibility to guard the space where he and his fellow veterans had spent countless hours together — filled with camaraderie and community support.
Bell’s overnight vigil took an unexpected and unfortunate turn, when in the early-dawn hours, he saw smoke for a second time.
“I happened to be walking around the building, and I saw smoke. I looked in the door, and there were flames, so I called 911, and here comes fire number two,” Bell said.
“The second fire is the one that wiped the building out,” Bell said. “We could have recovered fairly quickly [from the first fire], but the second one took it all out completely.”
According to Bell, the cause of the fires has been determined to be electrical.
“It was up in the ceiling … front of the building … [Investigators] could not pinpoint the exact spot because the second fire destroyed the evidence from the first fire,” Bell said.
According to DeLand Fire Department spokesperson Vicki Karr, the cause of the fire is still under investigation by the Florida Fire Marshal Bureau of Fire, Arson, and Explosives Investigators; no official report is available for release at this time.
As the morning of March 23 progressed, Bell saw the arrival of Post 2380 members, as well as members of additional, local posts, and community members who came to offer their support and concern. The smoke and the mist of a spring morning cleared, and Bell witnessed the support that can be found in a close-knit community such as DeLand. “The outreach support was pretty phenomenal,” Bell said of the immediate aftermath of the fire.
The DeLand community has continued to rally around Post 2380 and surrounding veteran and non-profit organizations such as the AMVETS, American Legion, and Fraternal Order of Eagles have provided neighboring options for temporarily displaced Post members to join together.
“The AMVETS have opened up their doors for us, the American Legion has opened their doors for us, the Eagles have opened their doors for us, so any of our people can go there at any time, and they’re welcome just like they’re a member there. Which is great that all of the veterans organizations are all pulling together,” Bell said.
The interior of Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2380 is pictured following two devastating fires that occurred on the evening of March 22 and the morning of March 23.
“Some people think that there’s a competition — there’s not a competition,” Bell said. “We do our thing, they do their thing, and if they need us, we’re there for them. If we need them, they’re there for us. So that’s the way we look at it,” Bell said of the camaraderie he and fellow VFW members have experienced with local veterans organizations that serve as complements to what the VFW offers.
On March 26, DeLand Mayor Christopher Cloudman signed a “Call to Action,” which implores citizens of DeLand to offer support for the rebuilding of Post 2380.
“The support from the mayor has been ‘Richter scale.’ There is no doubt he is an advocate for the veterans. His support has been phenomenal,” Bell said.
Bell reflected fondly upon the support and fellowship of shared experience that can be found within the walls of a VFW.
“A lot of people think that a VFW is a bunch of old guys, sitting around a bar … telling war stories,” Bell said. “We’re old – I’m not going to deny that, but there are not many war stories because you don’t talk about it, you just don’t, other than the funny stuff.”
“We sit, and we laugh, and we joke, and we mess with each other. We just cut up and have a good time,” Bell added.
Speaking with Bell, a confidence is instilled that VFW Post 2380 will rise from the ashes. Bell described two fundraising efforts that have been completed over the past two months, and one is planned for May 25 at City Limits Taproom in DeLand.
“[City Limits Taproom] is doing a big fundraiser on Memorial Day weekend … They’ve got live bands, they’ve got food, they’ve got beverages, they’ve got drawings, and they’re donating all of it to the VFW, which is just absolutely incredible,” Bell said.
“We are reaching out for different grants … and when it’s all said and done, it’s going to be one heck of a good-looking VFW,” Bell said.
“Right now, we’ve hired a company to do the demolition of the interior, to leave four walls and a slab. They’re taking everything out except the four block walls and the concrete that it’s on,” Bell said.
“Tom Bechtol [of DeLand-based Bechtol Engineering] is going to come in, and he’s going to survey and decide whether the walls are structurally sound,” Bell said. ”We’re not putting the cart in front of the horses. It’s going to be a long process, but once we get rolling, I think it will be good to go.”
“A lot of what is going to take place is going to depend on how long it takes to get things like architectural drawings and permits approved … electricians, air conditioning, the roofers — it’s such a wide spectrum, and we’re taking each thing a step at a time,” Bell said of plans to rebuild.
“We’re coming back,” said Bell. “Ain’t no doubt about it. We’re going to come back better, and I’m going to look at the positives,” Bell said resolutely.
