Monday, April 20, 1998 | 9:58 a.m.
Battalion Chief Richard Chrzanowski said Monday an investigation is continuing, but an electrical short or other accidental factors have been ruled out.
He cautioned that man-caused doesn't necessarily mean arson, and also said there were reports that people looking for shelter had been chased out of the building recently.
The fire broke out about 11 p.m. Sunday in the long-vacant building that dated to the 1860s and had served from time to time as an auto detail shop, transmission repair shop, car dealership and furniture business.
The building was known to many locals as the transmission shop operated from 1968 to 1983 by Secretary of State Dean Heller's father, Jack Heller.
The building where the fire started was gutted and other businesses were damaged, including Cafe del Rio, the Assembly Room bar and Encore Consignment shop.
Jack's Bar, a well-known saloon on the corner of Carson and Fifth streets, had some smoke and water damage. There were no injuries.
Chrzanowski said the destroyed building had heavy masonry walls, but that didn't stop the spread of the fire. He said the numerous remodeling jobs that had been done over the years actually contributed to the spread of the blaze.
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