Milo - It was exactly one year ago today when downtown Milo drastically changed when a fire tore through their downtown area leaving multiple businesses homeless and townspeople devastated. Our Aaron Jackson traveled to the site today to see how the town is continuing to deal with the tragedy.


The devastation fire can cause is well known in Milo, as residents can still vividly remember what happened exactly one year ago.

"I came downtown to find it fully engulfed," says Jeffrey Gahagan, the town manager of Milo. "We thought we might be able to salvage some, but after some time we realized the majority of the block was going to go."

The town continues to look for ways to rebuild the area where 5 buildings were damaged or destroyed and 9 families were displaced, including applying for grants, but so far nothing is set in stone. The lot where the fire occurred remains mostly unchanged, but Hobnobbers, one of the businesses destroyed in the blaze, officially reopened today. Val Robertson, the owner of Hobnobbers, says she didn't plan to open on the anniversary, but she's glad she did. "As I was riding through town today I noticed that the weather is about the same as it was that day. I stopped downtown and, it's a sad day, so I'm glad I've got something to keep my mind busy and not think about how horrible that day was."

Her new restaurant still has remnants from the old building, including refinished chairs and tables, a stove, and a salad bar that were all salvaged from the building, remnants of the blaze that provide patrons a chance to remember the past of their downtown while waiting to see what happens in its future.