Van Wert Pallet fire believed to be arson

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor

Although no official ruling has yet been made, state and local investigators believe Thursday morning’s fire at Van Wert Pallet was arson.

The Division of State Fire Marshal has posted a Blue Ribbon Arson Reward sign at the scene of the fire at 500 Anderson Ave. in an effort to generate tips. Anyone with information on the case is encouraged to call the State Fire Marshal’s office at 800.289.2728 or the Van Wert Police Department at 419.238.2462.

Investigators want to hear from anyone who may have seen something out of the ordinary at, or around, the time of the fire, or from anyone who has overheard someone talking about the fire with an unusual level of interest or knowledge.

No tip of detail should be considered too small or insignificant, investigators say — it could be exactly what investigators and detectives are seeking.

A reward of up to $5,000 is offered to anyone with information that leads to the person or persons responsible for the fire.

A total of 12 Van Wert firefighters were at the fire scene after receiving the call at approximately 4:35 a.m. Thursday. Firefighters were still on the scene more than 10 hours later working to clear debris and extinguish hot spots.

“We spent quite a bit of time overhauling it,” Fire Chief Jim Steele said of the building, largely because a wall collapsed and another was leaning and could collapse as well. Anderson Avenue was closed until the leaning wall was brought down on Friday.

The fire destroyed the structure, believed to be over 100 years old, which was currently being used by Van Wert Pallet for the manufacture of wooden pallets and corrugated cardboard boxes. One wall of the building collapsed and the fire also burned the roof off the 20,000-square-foot facility.

Fortunately, no one was injured, especially since several propane tanks exploded during the fire (click here for more fire photos).

Chief Steele said he knew at least part of the building was coming down when he heard torsional bars holding the walls together in the building let go. “There were a variety of torsional bars in the building and I could hear them ping as they let go,” the fire chief said.

Fortunately, the intense heat seen earlier this week had moderated by Thursday morning, allowing firefighters to concentrate on the fire and not having to worry about dehydration and other heat-related problems while working in heavy turnout gear.

“That was a godsend,” Chief Steele noted.