No word yet on cause of Keota’s downtown fire

The scars of the December fire to strike Keota remain very visible nearly 2 months later.

The December 4, 2010 fire that struck Keota has had it’s lasting effects on those impacted by the destruction, and the town as a whole.

Bill Miller, owner of the old lumberyard where it’s believed the fire started, said that the State Fire Marshal has determined it to be arson. Miller stated that the State is still continuing the investigation into the cause of the fire. Most of the information he’s gotten on the investigation, Miller says, come’s from the news. Miller said that besides the State Fire Marshal, every insurance company involved sent their own fire investigator as well.

Cleanup of the mess has been costly for Miller, saying that the debris and remains of the building had to be cleaned up as hazardous material. “The way DNR rules are, if you don’t have paperwork to prove there was no asbestos in it (destroyed building), it has to be cleaned up as asbestos.” Miller said of the clean up process.

Bill Miller stands in front of what is left of the former lumber yard turned storage facility lost in Keota's in December's fire. (file photo)

He explained all of the mandated steps required in order to have the site cleaned. On the cost of the clean up Miller stated, “It’s not all covered by insurance.”

Miller said he is waiting to hear back from his insurance company on the value of the building. “Which is starting to irritate me a little bit” Miller stated, “I’ve got all these bills here, and they’ve got my money. And I’m still waiting for my money so I can pay my bills and figure out how much it’s going to cost me out of my pocket.”

Miller also said, “It’s unreal on what the cleanup bill was, the landfill bill was.”

Millers other business, Miller Auto Body, still remains damaged and not able to be repaired because there are bricks from one of the collapsed businesses partially resting on the building and nearby. In order to remove those bricks, so repair can begin, asbestos clean up crews have to be brought in. There was a lack of insurance on the building that collapsed, which could possibly make one more expense for Miller, or the City of Keota, to cover in order for business to return to normal.