JONESBORO — A fire that began in the roof of a Jonesboro funeral home destroyed the 50-year-old building, Fire Chief Kevin Miller said Tuesday.
Investigators sifted through the charred rubble of Roller-Farmers Funeral Home on East Johnson Avenue on Tuesday, looking for clues that ignited the city’s biggest fire since 2007, Miller said.
The fire was reported about 3 p.m. Monday. When firefighters arrived, the roof was engulfed in flames, Miller said.
Workers inside the building didn’t know the fire had began until the power was knocked out. When they checked, someone noticed smoke and the employees left the funeral home, Miller said.
Two bodies being prepared for services were removed before they were harmed, the chief said. Area funeral homes have offered assistance with funeral services, he said.
Bill Booker, president of Roller Funeral Homes in Little Rock, said Jonesboro churches have also volunteered use of facilities for services.
“It’s a terrifying loss for all of us,” Booker said. “The whole community grieves with us.”
Booker said he hopes to build back on the property.
“We are anxious to get back,” he said.
Booker said officials held a funeral service in the home Monday morning, only hours before the fire began.
“It was a blessing that the service was over when the fire began,” he said. “We are seeing some blessings in a difficult time.”
Authorities don’t believe the fire was deliberately set.
A crew was pouring tar atop the roof, which may have started the fire. Miller said inspectors also looked at electrical wiring Tuesday.
“We’re looking at everything now,” Miller said. “We’ve not determined the cause yet.”
Miller said the building had been remodeled several times, and there were three attic sections. He said the fire may have begun in one attic and burned for some time before anyone noticed it.
The blaze was the city’s largest since a downtown Jonesboro car dealership burned in August 2007, Miller said. It was also the first time the Fire Department used all three of its aerial trucks to battle the blaze sine they obtained the third truck in 2006, he said.
Arkansas, Pages 16 on 03/28/2012