Demolition expected to begin Tuesday morning
QUINCY, ILL. -- UPDATE: Tuesday, Oct. 5, 2010, 2:00 p.m.
Workers began tearing down parts a the building that went up in flames over the weekend in Quincy. The building that housed the Golf Attic at 5th and Ohio was unsafe because of the fire damage, and parts of it had to come down to make it safe for investigators.
Quincy Fire Chief Joe Henning says they still don't know what started the fire, but they do know where it started.
"They've started the demolition process, they've got the chimney down and are starting to take the building down.They're going to be taking the NE corner of the building and laying that down. And investiagtors will be on the scene this afternoon to take a look at that because they seem to feel that's probably the area of origin of the fire," said Henning. "Do I think we're going to be able to pinpoint it? I think we've got a really good shot at figuring out where that fire started."
Quincy police also have conducted numerous interviews, but have no suspects.
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UPDATE: Monday, Oct. 4, 2010, 5:00 p.m.
Fire crews have wrapped up day two of an investigation into what started a five alarm fire at the Golf Attic building in downtown Quincy Sunday. Monday, crews broke down gas and electrical lines around the building located at 5th and Ohio Street.
Investigators had originally scheduled a demolition of the building Monday morning as a safety precaution. But city crews had not finished a damage assessment. They're set to begin the demolition process Tuesday morning where they hope to find what caused the fire.
The Quincy Fire Department labeled the fire "incendiary in nature," meaning there was no evidence of accidental cause.
The Chief Deputy told us today the building was not insured We also spoke with the Assistant Fire Chief James Pioch. He told KHQA's Brooke Hasch that due to the extent of the building's damage, crews may never be able to determine the cause. But regardless, they're going to try.
"As they're demolishing it, our investigators will be on scene to look at points in structure, to see how much of the building was actually damaged by the fire and by the collapse. Based on what was and wasn't burned should help them lead to a cause," said Pioch."If they learn that they're unable to do so, then they'll have to tear it down."
We asked if investigators had received any tips or leads at this point. Pioch did not know of any. While they don't know what caused the fire just yet, there are many factors that could have accelerated the fire once it began.
"I was told there used to be a compressor company. I can only imagine what kind of oils and hydraulic fluid they had over the years. The timbers were old and if they were saturated with that kind of chemical, that might have contributed to a fast fire spread," said Pioch.
Pioch told KHQA the last five alarm fire Quincy's seen was back in December of 2008. That fire was at third and Hampshire. The cause of that fire was never determined.
Stay with KHQA as we'll continue to follow this story.
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ORIGINAL STORY:
It may be another day before demolition begins on what's left of the building at 5th and Ohio.
The former home of the Golf Attic was destroyed in a five alarm fire on Sunday that raged for several hours.
City officials and inspection crews were on the scene Monday morning.
They were concerned about gas and water lines that are still going into the building.
Right now the fire is labeled as incendiary, which means that there is no evidence that the fire started by accident.
"Upon the initial dispatch our crews pulled out of Central Fire Station, saw heavy smoke so they went to a second alarm. Upon arrival at the scene they then elevated to a 4th alarm and subsiquently went to a 5th alarm status," said Quincy Fire Chief Joe Henning.
The five alarm designation meant that all the members of the Quincy fire department were called in to fight the fire on Sunday.
But thanks, in part, to the Quincy Fire Department's new trucks, firefighters got the fire under control fairly quickly.
"We were sitting inside the house, right in front of these front windows here. We heard the initial cop, she actually looked out the window first and we could see the black smoke everywhere. When we came outside the neighbor lady was on the phone with 911 and that's when the flames started rolling and they were rolling as high as the chimney," said nearby resident Chuck Lankey.
Witnesses from as far away Palmyra also reported seeing the smoke from the fire.