Cause of Monroe City fire may not be determined
Sunday blaze destroyed two downtown buildings

MONROE CITY - A large smoldering pile of rubble is all that's left of two downtown buildings following a Sunday-morning fire that some 50 firefighters from 10 area departments battled for hours.

A boil order remains in effect for local residents, as the town's water tower was drained by the firemen's efforts to battle the blaze.

Chad Hansen, chief of the Harrison Township Fire Department, said it may be impossible to determine what caused the blaze, which broke out around 3:30 a.m. Sunday, due to the extensive damage.

Hansen said a member of the department on his way home from work early Sunday spotted smoke coming from the two-story building ( the old Corner Discount) owned by Jerry Kohlhouse at 101 W. Ninth St. Within a couple of minutes the nearly-100 year old brick building was fully engulfed in flames.

Hansen said strong winds spread the fire to a neighboring building that housed Phil's Place (Tic's) restaurant at 906 Main St., ultimately destroying it as well.

He said if not for an early-morning rain, the fire could have spread throughout downtown.

The Kohlhouse building had originally been a commercial property. Throughout the years it had housed a bank, a pharmacy, and grocery store but had most recently been a single family residence. The owners of the building were on vacation when the fire broke out.

Phil's Place (Tic's) was also unoccupied at the time of the fire.

Both buildings have been called a total loss by firefighters.