Cause Of Fire Determined To Be Smoking Materials

Jamestown (CSi)  The probable cause of the Saturday March 22, 2014 Northeast Jamestown apartment building fire has been released.

Jamestown City Fire Chief, Jim Reuther says  with the information collected from firefighters, photos taken at the scene, information collected from interviews and working with private fire investigators, it would indicate that most probable cause would be smoking materials .

He says this concludes the fire investigation and this fire investigation would be considered to be closed unless further evidence is obtained.

Reported previously…

Jamestown (CSi)  The Jamestown City Fire Department responded early Saturday morning to an apartment building fire at 610 14th Street Northeast.

The call came in at about 2:30-a.m.,  to the four-plex.

Jamestown Police Department  evacuated the building before the fire units arrived, and  as many as three police officers may have been treated for smoke inhalation.

Jamestown  City Fire Department Chief Jim Reuther said,  the four-plex was searched three times, and no one was trapped inside, as had been feared.

Reuther says five units and 25 firefighters battled the blaze for three hours and 20 minutes.   The fire spread into the walls and insulation of the building.

Reuther said the fire began in the upper level of the southeast corner of the building and spread to the attic and the apartment below it.

Lt. Sheldon Mohr says no one was hurt, but two of the apartments had extensive fire damage and the other two had smoke damage.

Otter Tail Power Company disconnected electrical service to the building,  still uninhabitable on Sunday.

Buffalo Valley Red Cross volunteers and  Manager, Beth Dewald were on the scene by 3 a.m.

Ten Jamestown residents were displaced.

The Red Cross then provided housing, clothing and comfort for the 10  fire-displaced residents,  two were children.

Ms. Dewald siad after the initial assistance, follow up with some of thE clients, will continue  over the next few days depending on needs.

Referrals can be made to Red Cross partners to provide assistance in the future.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.