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| Crews Respond to Fire at Former Butler Building; Arson Suspected -- PHOTOS AVAILABLE HERE |
POSTED 5:17am, LAST UPDATED 11:19am 5/4/10 Galesburg firefighters say arson is likely the cause of an early morning fire on the former Butler Manufacturing complex.
Galesburg Fire Prevention Captain Dan Foley says crews were called to the Butler complex on South Henderson Street around 5am Tuesday, where a building on site now used to house Don Owens Landscaping was found to be on fire.
Foley tells WGIL the reason investigators think there was arson -- where they also found flames in the area.
"We arrived to find four points of fire -- three areas where vehicles were on fire, and a building," Foley said.
At least two vehicles around the building were seen as if they had been driven into other buildings before they were allegedly set on fire -- with nails and other debris strewn throughout the area, possibly as a result of the building fire.
Foley tells WGIL Knoxville and Abingdon firefighters were called in to help, because their water tankers became essential to putting out the fire.
"Water supply was one of our biggest problems," Foley said. "Butler, when it was one big complex, could afford to run some of its water lines through buildings, because the buildings were continually heated. Once they shut down, they had to drain much of their water system, which included private fire hydrants, which were not available to us at this fire."
A State Police Crime Scene investigator and a state fire marshal's office arson investigator remain on scene investigating the blaze, which was under control in about an hour.
There were no injuries. But authorities are urging anyone with information as to how the fire started to call Galesburg Police or Galesburg-Area Crimestoppers.
Butler Manufacturing closed its Galesburg plant in 2005, the year after the Galesburg Maytag Plant closed.
SCENES FROM AFTER THE FIRE:
(WGIL News Story by Will Stevenson and Mike Perry. Photos by Will Stevenson.) |
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| 05 04 10 by Newsroom |
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