Courtesy Photo/Graham Jaehnig/Daily Mining Gazette The remains of three structures destroyed in a fire last Friday in Calumet are the subjects of an investigation to determine whether the cause of the blaze was arson, Houghton County Sheriff said on Wednesday.

CALUMET — The cause of a Friday night fire that destroyed three structures on Fifth Street has yet to be determined, said Houghton County Sheriff Brian McLean.

Amidst speculation and rumors, McLean said that at this point, the investigation by the state fire marshal and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) is simply to determine whether the cause of the fire was arson. It simply is not known yet, he said.

McLean said that while a cause of the fire has not yet been determined, it is known with certainty that it began somewhere within the former Evergreen Restaurant building.

“To be honest with you,” said McLean, “we only know that there was a fire. We don’t know what started it, and the (Calumet) fire chief had told our deputies that ‘it could be arson, it could not be arson, but we don’t know.'”

The fire chief made the decision to call in a fire investigator, and the Sheriff’s Department conducted the phone calls to request an investigation.

In regards to speculation, rumors and disinformation, McLean said his department is aware of innuendoes are circulating through the community that the location of the fire is a crime scene.

“Well,” he said, “we don’t know that it is a crime scene, but we don’t know that it isn’t, either. So, we’re just eliminating possibilities.”

McLean also said he has no idea how or why the ATF became involved in the investigation.

“I have never seen an ATF fire investigator,” he commented. “Ever.”

He mentioned a discussion on Monday with a fire official in Baraga County, who told him that in investigations into two structure fires last year in that county, both the ATF and the FBI teamed up to assist with the local investigators.

“Why, I don’t know, it just seems to be a change,” said McLean, “so, apparently, it’s something new, but I don’t know.”

Although the ATF could not be reached for comment or questions, the ATF website’s Detroit Field Division states that Detroit Field Division special agents combat arson, explosives, and tobacco-related crimes by conducting independent investigations, and by working in partnership with state and local fire investigators, bomb squads, and tobacco units. Explosives and arson enforcement is an integral part of ATF’s overall violent crime reduction strategy, the site goes on to say, and the Division is home to certified explosives specialists, certified fire investigators, a K-9 arson detection unit, and a K-9 explosives detection unit.

“The National Laboratory Center and its world-class Fire Research Laboratory,” the website asserts, “is the first institution of its kind in the world. It provides the facilities, equipment and staff to work on important issues involving fire scene reconstruction, validation of fire pattern analysis, impact of accelerants on fire growth, and electrical fire cause analysis.

“The FRL provides invaluable tools for ATF’s arson enforcement mission, its training capabilities, and its support to criminal investigations. It is also a critical resource for state and local agencies. ATF laboratory facilities provide expert opinion and court testimony for local agencies involved in arson investigations.”

As to rumors relating to the fire having been set by someone hoping to collect fire insurance, it is has been circulated that the person who recently purchased the former Evergreen building was involved. However, McLean said that is unsubstantiated.

“The guy who bought it,” he said, “didn’t have insurance on the building.”

There are also rumors, said McLean, that the fire was started by an exploding meth lab in one of the apartments above the laundromat. While that is quite possible, he said, the fire has been determined to have started in the Evergreen.

“I’m sure people extrapolated from the fact that our deputies at the scene were keeping people out and taped it off with the yellow ‘do not cross’ tape,” he added. “But, basically, it’s a — we want to leave the scene undisturbed until the investigators get a chance to do their thing, and I understand people were going there, stealing bricks and whatever thing of value they could find.”

And quite honestly, McLean said with a laugh, once the fire investigators leave, “we welcome anyone to take everything away.”