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This evening at 12:04am the roof of the blast factory finally succumbed to
fire and heat and caved in on the staging area and store of the Blast Factory. The roof over the field had collapsed around 10pm. I just spent
the last 4 hours watching my field burn to the ground. The good news is no
one was hurt and Bob and Rosanne Aeschilman where able to get most of their stock out of the store as well as a lot of the equipment of players. The fire department did a heroic job of trying to save the Blast Factory store. But unfortunately high winds and the type of building materials, specifically the roof, made it a battle they where almost destined to lose. Keep Bob and Rosanne in your thoughts please, they just lost not only their business, but their joy.

The Blast Factory was not just a field for playing paintball, Bob and Rosanne, the field, the refs, and all the players, where all greatly involved in the community, sponsoring such events as the Howard County 4H
fair tournament, tournaments supporting the Special Olympics, and the Rely
for Life. The Field was home to a number of teams that defined sportsmanship and team play. Team Bad Dream, my team, was headed by Bob,
and has won numerous sportsmanship awards, as well as quite a few
tournaments in its history. Also sponsored by the Blast Factory was Camo
Jockeyes, who have also won numerous sportsmanship awards as well as quite a few tournaments in their own right. As I stood and watched a place I had
spent many wonderful days practicing and playing paintball I was dismayed to hear people speaking disparagingly about the fire and the buildings. Many where crass enough to make jokes about the fire, not carrying that a number of people just lost their lively hoods as well as the blood, sweat, and tears they have poured into their businesses.

I hope you all keep the owners and employees of The Blast Factory, Auto-Trix, and the other businesses located in the 100 block of North Street. Also please be sure to keep the brave firefighters of Kokomo, the Kokomo Police Department, the Howard County EMA, and all the other brave city employees and volunteers that responded to this horrific fire. Also
please be sure to thank Fast Food Lane for their excellent support in this
time of tragedy. I greatly appreciate their support and assistance in this
terrible time.

Ernest Parkin
Team Bad Dream