Campbell fireworks store owners dispute permit’s status

July 15--The owners of a burned-out Campbell County fireworks store say they're victims of a slow-moving bureaucracy and vindictive state regulators.

State officials say they should have filed their paperwork on time like everyone else.

"This is just normal, everyday business," said Megan Buell, spokeswoman for the state fire marshal's office. "Had they just renewed their permit on time, this would never have been an issue."

The Stowers Superstore in Caryville, Tenn., caught fire July 6, two days after the biggest fireworks day of the year. The blaze gutted the store off Interstate 75's Exit 141, shut down traffic and tied up fire crews from three counties for hours. No one was hurt.

The fire's cause remains under investigation, but state officials said the store, owned by Reed and Angela Stowers since 2008, had no valid permit to sell fireworks. That permit expired in January, records show.

The owners say that's not their fault. Records show the couple applied to renew the permit in May and paid the fees required by state law. The store wasn't even selling fireworks when it caught fire, said the couple's lawyer, David Dunaway.

Dunaway said the permit lapsed because Reed Stowers was severely ill at the time. Stories about the expired permit have caused his clients unnecessary trouble dealing with insurance and other issues since the fire, he said.

"They were substantially in compliance," Dunaway said Tuesday. "This is also a retail gifts operation. They sell souvenirs. They sell T-shirts. They sell fudge. No one is suggesting the fireworks were the cause of the fire. They were having electrical problems. All indications are it came from the attic.

"They didn't pay for renewal of their license, but that doesn't make them bad people. They reapplied. They sent a check. The state cashed it. The state certainly hasn't offered to return their money."

Dunaway claims the state singled out the Stowers store for harassment because of a long-running property dispute between the owners and a nearby Pilot store that led to a lawsuit and failed attempts at mediation. Buell, the state spokeswoman, called that accusation ridiculous.

"They had 90 days to reapply, and they did not do so," Buell said. "They were not in compliance. If they're trying to pull the Haslam name into this, that has nothing to do with this in any way."

Buell said even though the couple reapplied for a fireworks permit and paid the fee, state law required a new inspection of the store. That inspection hadn't been done yet because inspectors were tied up with such spring and summer events as Bonnaroo and the CMA Fest, she said.

Another fireworks store in Union County owned by the Stowers still has a valid permit.

"They knew what was involved in compliance," Buell said. "They should have done what they should have done in December."

The state hasn't fined the owners and doesn't plan to do so, she said.

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