Investigators rule out foul play in Winona fire

View of the destroyed buildings from above
Rubble litters the street after fire crews had to destroy the historic building that housed the Islamic Center of Winona, right, Friday, Sept. 13, 2013.
Photo for MPR News by Alex Kolyer

Investigators have determined the fire that destroyed two buildings and damaged several others in downtown Winona earlier this month started between the roof and the ceiling of the Islamic Center of Winona.

City, state, federal and private investigators ruled out foul play. There was some electrical wiring in the attic area but investigators declined to identify a cause of the fire, said Jim Multhaup, Winona's assistant fire chief.

"That fire was working for a considerable length of time. It was concealed" and there was no one in the Islamic Center at the time, he added. "We're not looking at any suspicious, malicious intent."

No one was injured or killed by the fire, which lasted several hours.

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