202 Illinois Fire Investigation Results
Editor’s note: The Idaho State Fire Marshal’s Office Facebook page posted the following on October 8th at about 5:00 p.m. We have been told that a more detailed fire investigation report will be available in a few weeks. We will report on that when we receive it.
Investigators completed their investigation into the origin and cause of a fire that occurred at Cuddy Mountain Custom Meats in Council on Monday afternoon.
It was determined that the fire originated inside of a smoker due to a build up of rendered fat on drip pans. Employees tending the smoker, attempted to extinguish the flames before calling 911. The fire intensified and breached into a void space above the ceiling to an adjoining room, making it very difficult for firefighters to extinguish.
The building is a complete loss. However, Cuddy Mountain Meats was permitted to remover a number of unprocessed frozen stock and game from an outdoor freezer that was undamaged by the fire, but the electrical power was turned off due to the fire. A mobile freezer was being arranged to store the stock.
The Idaho State Fire Marshal has declared the building unsafe and urges all Council pedestrians to stay clear by using the sidewalk across the street on the south side of Illinois Avenue. The building owner has been advised of the dangers and is looking into his options.
We’d like to thank Council Fire Department and the Adams County Sheriff’s Office for their assistance and standing by overnight in addition to the Washington County Sheriff’s Office for providing drone (UAS) footage of the scene. A true team effort!
