'Suspicious' person reported at Cotham's before fire, official says; nothing ruled out in investigation

A spokesman for the Pulaski County sheriff's office says nothing is being ruled out as part of the ongoing investigation into a blaze that destroyed Arkansas landmark Cotham's Mercantile earlier this week.

"We are investigating it, trying to determine the source and origin of the fire," spokesman Lt. Cody Burk told Arkansas Online on Thursday, adding that there was "no determination" yet.

Scott Fire Chief Ron Myers said a woman called the volunteer department and told authorities that she saw a man on the porch of Cotham's well after closing time on the night of the fire.

The woman thought he looked “suspicious” and decided to share the information when she heard the restaurant burned down overnight, Myers said.

[PHOTOS: A look back at Cotham's Mercantile in Scott through the years]

Firefighters were called to to the long-standing restaurant at 5301 Arkansas 161 South in Scott around 11:30 p.m. Monday.

When they arrived, the roof had collapsed, and the building, which was constructed on stilts near the bank of Horseshoe Lake, was engulfed in flames from end to end, Myers said.

At first, the fire chief suspected it was a kitchen fire, he said. But a couple of witnesses said flames started at the front of the building, and the kitchen is at the back.

Because Scott is a volunteer department, the case was transferred to the Pulaski County sheriff's office for further investigation, Myers said.