Jacksonville fires investigated by state fire marshal

The Jacksonville Fire Department and the Illinois State Fire Marshal’s Office are still investigating the cause of two large fires that occurred this month, but have not yet identified the cause of the fires.

Chief Matt Summers announced the cause of the fires at Henry’s Service Center, 2244 W. Morton Ave., on Wednesday, as well as the fire at the former McClelland Hall on June 10.

Summers said there have been some difficulties in determining the cause of the fire, but there is still hope of finding the cause.

At Henry’s, Summers said, some video evidence was found that could help with the investigation.

“Thanks to the efforts of the Jacksonville and South Jacksonville teams, we were able to recover a DVR with intact video footage,” Summers said. “With the help of the Jacksonville Police Department, we were able to view the video and determine the source location. Our firefighters recovered the DVR with flying colors.”

Although initial investigations indicated the fire started in the building’s repair shop, Summers said video shows the fire started on the east wall.

“We’re not sure if it was an electrical problem or something in the wall,” Summers said. “It’s entirely possible it was something in or on the wall on the east side. We may not be able to figure it out because there’s a lot of ash and debris due to the intensity of the fire.”

While that investigation is ongoing, Summers said the investigation into the fire at Cured Catering in the former Mclelland Hall is also ongoing.

Investigating the fire was fraught with difficulties, Summers said, because of the dangerous situations an investigator would face when entering certain areas of the building.

Summers said the building materials were extremely heavy and the size of the building made the investigation difficult. To reduce the dangers of the situation, heavy equipment would be needed, and Summers said that’s a cost that may not be covered by insurance.

“It’s dangerous to bring someone into the room, and some rooms are difficult to access,” Summers said.

Despite these challenges, Summers said the investigation is ongoing and they hope to find the cause.