The Rushville Fire Department (RFD) issued a news release following the receipt of the investigation findings from the Indiana State Fire Marshal regarding the fire on Rushville’s Main Street on Sept. 26. However, the cause of the fire could not be conclusively determined.

According to the release, upon arrival, RFD found heavy smoke and flames coming from the northeast corner of the kitchen area of the Corner Restaurant. The initial firefighting efforts subdued the fire in the kitchen area; however, the fire had spread into multiple concealed spaces and reached the cockloft/attic due to the building’s construction. The cockloft/attic was a common space for Corner Restaurant and The Finishing Touch, allowing heavy fire to travel to an adjoining building and resulting in the roof collapse of both structures. Following the roof collapse, the north wall was deemed unsafe, and a safety zone was established to prevent firefighters from entering the potential collapse area.

The news release further stated, “After two days of scene investigations and several days of interviews, the Indiana state Fire Marshal Investigator has released the following conclusion, after ruling out all potential fire cause hypotheses considering the ignition sources and fuels present within the area of fire origin:

‘Based on the evidence gathered as a result of this investigation, the area of the fire origin is the area between the three-basin sink and an upright freezer located along the southwest of the kitchen of the restaurant on the first floor of 250 Main Street. A trash can was located in the area of the fire origin. Within the trash can, multiple discarded cigarette butts were found. Ignition of combustible materials by smoking material possibly discarded in the trash can was not eliminated as the cause of the fire.’”