One week ago, a nine-alarm fire destroyed a commercial building in downtown Natick.

Now, the smell of smoke and burned wood is slowly fading, and all that remains where the century-old building once stood is a pile of charred rubble.

The blaze, which is still under investigation, left eight local businesses wondering what their futures might hold. Despite the tragedy, the Natick community is pulling together to rebuild and recover.

Across the street from where the fire occurred, on Natick Common, a giant mural is set up that says, “We Burn Brightly.” Supporters and well-wishers have written other things as well, like, “the fire may have burned the building, but not our souls,” and “a great village before, even better after.”

Pam McGrath was among those who came to reminisce about the town she loves.

"It's a great town," she said, fighting back tears. "The people are so committed and loyal ... it was a good place to grow up."

The fire is a tremendous loss for Nancy Kelley. She ran a dance studio in Natick for 35 years. On a recent day, she stood outside a fence set up by the fire department to keep people away from the destroyed building.

"I look at it and I I think my brain realizes that it's, you know, it's gone," she said. "And then, then it's sad. And so I have my moments that I'm teary and crying."There are once-colorful dance costumes and choreography notes visible in the debris. Firefighters pulled some pictures, plaques and a special banner out of the wreckage, one of which was especially meaningful.

"It's a silver lame curtain that takes up the whole stage, so it ... probably wouldn't even be able to be bought today," Kelley said. She had stored the curtain in a blue Tupperware was amazed that firefighters found it in perfect condition.

"I should be in an ad for Tupperware," she joked.

And there are other small miracles. A firewall spared many adjacent businesses from catching fire.

"I've been here 29 years, went through two fires now, and one foreclosure, said Rosemary Wright, who ran Clip and Dip, a dog grooming business. "And we're still standing. So we're not meant to be burnt down."

State and local officials met with business owners like Wright and Kelley to help map out a plan for recovery. It was led by Natick resident and State Rep. David Linsky, who represents the 5th Middlesex District.

"I see immediate needs," Linsky said at the meeting. "I see short-term needs and I see, sort of, intermediate needs, and way off into the future the rebuild and the long-term needs, but you can’t even think about that now."

Linsky reiterated what Wright said, that Natick is no stranger to this kind of tragedy. There was another big fire in 2008, and the town came back stronger than before, he said.

"In 2008, directly across the street there had been a very similar fire with very similar businesses. And that structure has been rebuilt and all of the businesses have survived and thrived and and done well," he said.

Massachusetts Senate President Karen Spilka’s district includes Natick. She said officials are mobilizing resources and counseling to assist the impacted business owners.

"We've marshaled some of the state resources: The secretary of economic affairs was here today, business development, others from the labor and workforce development. And so we have to spend one-on-one time with the businesses," Spilka said after the meeting.

Also at the town hall meeting, business owners got information about things like insurance claims and paying taxes on businesses that won't exist for the foreseeable future. They also learned that the nonprofit organization Natick Center Associates has set up a Fire Relief Fund, and that a local bank has already donated $10,000.

The building that burned was located at the corner of Pond and South Main Streets and is owned by First Cambridge Realty Corporation. State Police assigned to the Office of the State Fire Marshal are assisting Natick Fire and Police with investigating the fire's origin and cause. The investigation is ongoing and a cause has not been determined.

Town Administrator Melissa Malone said she hopes to replace the building with something that reflects Natick's vibrancy.

"We are starting with a vision, and this is going to take a lot of dialogue, but I am very hopeful that again we're going to come together as a community as we've done, and we will rebuild," she said.