LITTLE ROCK — Soon after the sun rose Friday over the wreckage of the Main Street hair salon he and his wife owned in downtown Nashville, Waylon Roberson sifted through all that remained: a mountain of burnt, soggy debris.
Roberson's business, Asian Image, was destroyed along with two nearby buildings in a fire that raged for hours Thursday and rekindled again early Friday morning.
But even as crews were back at the scene dousing a half-block of charred wood and crumbled brick, some in town expressed optimism that Nashville will bounce back from losing a piece of its historic downtown.
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Roberson said he was "just curious," so he came down to look through what was left. Other residents and shop owners said they felt for Roberson and others devastated by the blaze, which also caused smoke damage at other properties along the century-old block.
No injuries were reported and the cause is still unknown.
Price Kreul, who owns Western Auto across Main Street, said he spoke with Roberson's wife after the fire.
She was "in shock," he said.
"They were very devastated, obviously, and I feel deeply for them," he said, watching from the sidewalk as Roberson picked through the ruins. "That's a real sad picture just seeing that right now."
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A neighboring antique and second-hand shop which was also destroyed in the fire was a popular spot for tourists and locals, Kreul said.
And the fire came at a time when Nashville was seeking an official designation as a historic city. The application had already been approved in the state and was forwarded to Washington, D.C. for a final decision, said Kreul, whose family has owned and operated Western Auto on Main Street for nearly 50 years.
"I'm hoping this doesn't slow that down," he said.
Joe Kell, the assistant superintendent at the Nashville School District, stopped by early Friday to see if the fire was finally out and to survey the full extent of the damage.
He called Nashville "one of the few towns left with a viable Main Street" and said losing a half-block of cherished buildings along it will certainly be difficult.
But the city of about 5,000 people will overcome it.
"Oh yes," he said. "It'll take time, no doubt about that. But, yes, people were talking last night about getting it cleaned up and getting someone to come in, trying to find someone to come in and rebuild and get businesses back in here."
The town has a way of coming together, Kell said. As more than 100 firefighters battled the blaze into the night Friday, some residents brought sandwiches and water for the exhausted crews.
And when the fire threatened other businesses on the block, residents gathered together to save as much furniture and other items as they could from inside.
"People just started grabbing stuff and carrying it out, trying to help out and save a man's business," Kell said. "It's great. It's what we expect. Anybody from this community would expect nothing less."
Bobby Chambers, the Nashville fire chief, was among those back at the scene Friday morning after hot spots reignited the wreckage.
He said he felt for the business-owners affected, but expects Main Street will survive. After all, a 1979 blaze took out a half-block of buildings just down the road, he said.
"And it's built back, going good," Chambers said. "So I think we'll be alright."