By Leonard Gray / L’Observateur / March 12, 1998

RESERVE – Sue’s Beauty Salon, a landmark business on Cornland Drive, andthe apartment on the second floor of the building were destroyed by fireMonday afternoon.

Sue Loupe, the business owner for 28 years, gazed in horror as thickbillows of smoke poured from the upper windows. Reserve Fire Chief GlennBourg said the cause of the fire, listed as undetermined at press time,remains under investigation.

The alarm came in at 2:14 p.m., and it took firefighters approximately onehour to bring the fire under control. Meanwhile, relatives, friends andneighbors of the fire’s victims gathered to watch the destruction of thebusiness and home.

Loupe’s brother-in-law, Leonard, and his two teen-age daughters wereresidents of the apartment. No one was at home at the time of the fire.

Poignantly, one of the daughters got off her school bus a block away,dashed to within sight of the destruction of her home, and nearlycollapsed in agony in the street. She was quickly united with her family,wracked with sobs.

Firefighters from Reserve, Garyville, LaPlace and Norco poured into theresidential area just west of Central Avenue to battle the blaze. At onepoint fear of a burst of flame sent firefighters scurrying from inside,Bourg said, and the smoke was nearly inpenetratable.The apartment was completely gutted by the fire, and one Reservefirefighter was injured from a pulled muscle.

Photo: SUE’S BEAUTY SALON on Cornland Drive, and the second-floor apartmentabove it were destroyed Monday afternoon by a fire of undetermined origin.Here, a resident of the apartment comes home from school to witness thedestruction. She was soon united with family members, who were unhurt.

Photo by Leonard Gray.

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