An early investigation into a fire that ravaged Bisbee’s historic City Hall found no evidence of arson or foul play.
Investigators from local and federal agencies determined the fire started on the building’s second floor where a renovation was underway, according to a press release from the Cochise County Sheriff’s Office.
Bisbee’s City Hall was built in 1909 and has had several alterations since then. There was some electrical work in the most recent renovation as well as older systems in the building.
The four-day investigation didn’t rule out the wiring as a cause for the blaze.
The investigators included Cochise County Sheriff’s Office; an accelerant sniffing dog from the Gilbert Police Department; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agents; and the Bisbee police, fire and public works departments.
The charred building is uninhabitable, and some Bisbee staff are now working out of county offices.
The city is accepting sewage and garbage bills at the Bisbee Police Department and a drop box near the post office in “Old Bisbee,” according to the Sheriff’s Office release.
