Police say arson in food shelf fire

Authorities suspect arson caused a fire Sunday at the Renville County Food Shelf in Olivia, Minn. The food shelf is closed until further notice.

Many people in the area rely on the food shelf, and the community is trying to figure out how to reopen it as soon as possible, according to Olivia Mayor Sue Hilgert. The food shelf serves all of Renville County.

"You know, right now, being that this just happened, you're thinking the immediate need of. 'oh dear, where are we going to relocate?'" Hilgert said. "And then as you think about it more, you get into that, 'Oh my goodness, all the produce and all the food that was there was all lost.' So how are we going to replace all that, and how are we going to get the manpower to restock all that? Yeah, we have a lot of concerns."

Olivia police and fire crews, as well as a number of nearby fire departments, responded to the fire 8:35 p.m. Sunday. An investigator from the State Fire Marshal's Office was also called in. No one was injured in the fire. The building also houses the Renville-Redwood chapter of the American Red Cross and a second-story apartment.

The Olivia Police Department says it does not have any suspects in the case. Authorities are offering up to $2,500 for information. Authorities ask anyone with information on the fire to call the Olivia Police Department, the Renville County Sheriff's Office, or the State Arson Hotline at 1-800-723-2020.

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